The 70's... Do The Hustle

While the rest of the world was discoing the days away in the 70's, the only hustling Marge and Ed were doing involved running kids to baseball, 4-H, school activities, camps, and lessons of some description. Dad had settled in at the Cuyahoga Community College Eastern Campus and was teaching computer classes. Mom continued to work part time as a nurse at Geauga Community Hospital in Chardon. They were both involved in Recreation Council, where they made many of the great friends they still have to this day. Mom continued singing in Sweet Adelines, and went to competitions with the chorus or her quartet, the Olde Mill Four. Dad enjoyed golfing and fishing as his outlet.

Education was important to them, so all of the kids attended Catholic school at St. Anselm, 1st through 6th grade. Great education... nuns and uniforms (kind of like mom's pants in the pic)... not so nice. When entering seventh grade, we joined the public school system and attended West Geauga schools. Chris was the first to make it through the teenage years (barely) and graduated in 1978.

Family was also very important and we often spent time with Bunky and Grandpa Thorp, riding Grandpa's tractors, gardening (farming as Grandpa would call it), and skating on the pond. Grandma Kosiewicz lived in the city, so it was exciting to go over there and ride the bus, buy candy at the little store next to her house, and attend Polish mass (Grandpa Kosiewicz had passed away in the late 60's). We also visited with Mom's Aunts and Uncles on a regular basis over in South Euclid and Dad's Aunts, Uncles and cousins were visited on holidays and special occasions. Buddy, Marge, Paul, Andy, and Anne were always a major part of family life during this decade too.

During the 70's we all played baseball - Dad even coached several of our teams, including one for Lynn and Karen called the Light Blue Monkeys. Dad was really a great coach and made sure that every girl on the team played during the games (something he and the league president had to fight all the coaches to do). He taught all of us how to be competitive and have fun at the same time, even though our team lost most of the time. He also taught us that when you get hurt, you'd better pick up the ball and throw it first... you could cry after you made the play. Bunky and Grandpa Thorp attended most of our games, and Grandpa loved to play catch or hit practice balls to us.

Summers were spent camping and boating. Kinzua Dam in PA with Uncle Buddy & Auntie Marge and the kids was a trip we looked forward to every year, where water skiing, boating, and fishing were favorite activities. At night we would sit around the camp fire, sing songs, roast (burn) marshmallows, and make pies in the cast iron forms, or drive around with a spot light and look for deer. Of course I can't talk about Kinzua without mentioning the "sucker vines" - sucker being the operative word here. Our "loving" Uncle Buddy would take us for walks in the woods where the suckers grew on vines and the ripe ones fell to the ground (in their plastic wrappings, of course) - little did we know at the time that he was throwing them as he walked behind us. This charade went on for several years... if the authorities knew about that today, I am sure it would be considered child abuse :)

Another fond vacation spot during that time was Mosquito Lake, where we would spend two weeks of the summer camping and boating. This is where we all became highly skilled water skiers. First thing in the morning and again in the evening, Dad spent many hours behind the wheel of the boat while Mom was in the seat behind him being the spotter. We also did a lot of night fishing off the shore.

In 1972, the Kosiewicz clan took the camper and the station wagon on a six week trek across the country. Try planning that trip without the internet. You are probably thinking, what? are they nuts??? Can you imagine driving to California and back with 4 kids in the back seat of a station wagon ranging in age from 9 - 12??? Not to worry, Dad has arms like Stretch Armstrong and there was no place he couldn't reach us in the back of the car - watch out for the long arm of the law! Looking back, we were so blessed to be able to have that experience. We got to see the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert (I think that's where mom made us get out of the car in the 120 degree blazing sun and stand by a stupid cactus to take our picture), Las Vegas, Old Faithful, the Redwood Forest, Disney Land, and many other amazing places. We went panning for gold and attended a real rodeo in Wyoming. At Mount Rushmore, Mike got a bloody nose that would not stop bleeding, so we had to turn around and try again the next day. And who could forget waking up in Winnamucca (here boys, here boys) or being eaten alive by an army of mosquitos in Targhee National Forest. Kudos to Dad for driving all those miles with a carload of kids, making sure he found us a campground with a pool, and setting up the camper each night after driving countless hours. Kudos to Mom for being a great co-pilot to Dad, organizing, packing and planning for six weeks on the road, feeding an entire family with a small stove and a mini fridge, and keeping us entertained in the car. I think she forgot to put the pin in the fridge only once during the whole trip.

In the 70's Mom and Dad established their careers, concentrated on making sure their kids were well educated, and stressed the importance of family and friends. It wasn't until we became adults that we could truly appreciate how hard Mom and Dad worked to make sure we had a beautiful life.

Finally... if we are talking family, we can't leave out our most beloved dog "CORKY". She was the greatest dog in the history of dogs and the Queen of dog heaven without a doubt.

Please share any memories you have of the 70's with our parents by clicking on the comments link below.