Father's Day
It's Father's Day! And some of the Junior Gorillas have graciously shared some of their own precious photos of their dads, which will make for a fun tribute.
Let's start with this scan from JG, from a photo date-stamped "September 1965"; A tow-headed JG stands with his father at the edge of Disneyland's Submarine Lagoon, gazing into the mysterious depths of "Liquid Space". JG's dad has a ticket book in his shirt pocket! And to the right of his head we can see the Yacht Bar, while the Douglas Moonliner can be seen in the distance. What a great picture!
Next is this charming photo from Chuck Hansen; Chuck says: This was taken in our townhouse complex pool in Columbus, Ohio, in August of 1969. My dad was finishing up training at nearby Lockbourne AFB (today’s Rickenbacker International Airport) in preparation for a 12-month tour as an AC-119K aircraft commander in Vietnam. I was 9 months old. Wonderful! I have vague memories of swimming with my dad, he'd sort of catch me as I "dove" into the water.
Here's a wonderful portrait of David W. and his father, who you might remember from two past blog posts (see them HERE and HERE). David thinks that this photo could be anywhere from 1962 to 1964, and that the car is a 1958 Ford Fairlane 500 (NICE!). And that the picture was taken "somewhere in California".
And finally, here's a picture of your's truly, at the age of two months, in the lap of my dad. We lived in Evanston, Illinois at the time, and my dad was teaching NROTC classes at Northwestern University. You can see his cool "Popeye scar" on his bicep, from when he battled a vampire! I didn't remember seeing this photo before, so it was a fun discovery.
Thanks to everyone who shared their pictures, and Happy Father's Day to dads everywhere!
12 comments:
Major-
Thanks to all for sharing your Father's Day memories in pictures.
Happy Father's Day.
1) Is that a fishing creel that JG's dad is holding? Maybe he's planning on catching himself a mermaid!
2) Now we know where Chuck got his impulse to fly! Spread those wings, Chuck! I see you've already got your landing gear retracted.
3) The picture of DW and his dad was taken from an angle close to the ground; about David's height. Maybe this was one of those Kodak cameras where you hold the camera near you chest and look through the viewfinder on top of the camera.... Or maybe David has a twin sibling who was into photography at a very early age!
4) Major, are you sure the scar was from battling a vampire? Perhaps your dad got his Popeye scar because he ate too many cans of spinachk and his bicep grew too fast, like it does in the cartoons.
Nice pictures everybody! Thanks, Major.
Nice "Dad" photos, today! Thanks to everyone who contributed, and a very happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!
JB, I'm guessing that JG's dad was holding onto JG's mom's "basket" purse, while she took the photo. Hopefully JG will let us know, later today. But my mom had several purses like that in the 60s.
These photos are priceless! Adorable Jr. Gorillas with their loving fathers.
I see that JG and his father are wearing matching outfits. How cool is that!
Major, it’s mind-boggling to think that teeny-tiny-you would one day grow up to be the creator of this community.
Happy Father’s Day! And thanks to all the dads of our Jr. Gorillas—cuz, without them, we wouldn’t be here celebrating.
Happy Daddy's day to all the dads and surrogate dads of humans and others! I'm afraid that as I reflect on the day, I may have a photo of my dad, but I don't think a photo exists WITH my dad...he generally had the camera and was the photographer. I ultimately I got the camera...which is now lost in the shuffle of life...it's "somewhere"...it was a camera from his stint in Korea...and oddly enough...I DO have a picture of the CAMERA in a mirror...These are all great shots: looks like JG and Daddy G have very nice pressed white shirts...how very nice to wear on a trip to the Magic Kingdom. Dad has some kind of woven bag: perhaps a pic-a-nic basket with the obligatory roasted chicken (?) The Yacht bar (architecturally) for me is up there with "New Tomorrowland"...I love this building: I wouldn't have saved it for Tomorrowland '67: but I would have given it an architectural nod in the new land. Some things to think about looking at this photo: Walt was alive during this time, and it seems that some of this 50's-esque scenario would soon culturally shift into the Swinging 60's with Go-Go girls dancing at Coke Terrace. This photo could have been taken a decade earlier (stylistically). Chuck is in a rather glistening pool: how very sparkly. And dad: not a hair out of place. Everything looks very structured and pristine...do people wear bathing hats any more to keep their hair-do's in place? Seems like it would defeat the purpose. The Ford Fairlane rocks, and Daddy W is giving off some Andy Griffith vibes. There are some interesting design elements in Daddy Pepper's abode...the door in the back: looks like a double door, but it opens from the wrong side...and there is what seems to be a pocket door on the other wall...an interesting conundrum in this room. Of course... the kid is cute too. Thanks Major and the guys who have shared their photos with us all today...
Happy Fathers' Day to all the Papa Gorillas out there
This is a great post idea, Major. Good to see pics of our friends Dads on Fathers Day!
Chuck, I remember my Dad teaching me to swim in the motel pool. You have a trash can too!
David W, what a great car! Your Dads shoes are nicely polished, I like that plaid shirt too. Is there a yellow accent paint on the car as well as pink? Or is that a photo thing?
Major, I love your pic, usually Moms get to hold the babies. I remember carrying my kids around at that age, good memories.
Tokyo, yes, good guess on the wicker purse. It was just about the size and shape of a fishing creel (JB!) and made of rigid wicker, not a flexible bag. It opened like a suitcase with a brass and leather catch and brass metal loop handle. I think this was a popular style as we have seen ladies with several similar in photos from this era. Bu, I am still a fan of nicely pressed white shirts, especially in hot weather. Sue, I didn’t notice we had matching outfits, thanks for pointing that out!
I didn’t remember this photo or the moment, although there were others from this batch that did spark memories. When I found it a few months back, I had to wipe my eye. I guess there was dust on the envelope. Anyhow, now I know why I love Disneyland. And it’s a great photo of Dad, really catches the moment.
Thank you Major and everyone for sharing their precious memories and comments.
JG
Happy Father’s Day, everyone. Thanks for sharing these nice moments with these special men!
Nanook, it was fun to get all of the pix from the Junior Gorillas!
JB, yes, JG’s dad always carried a fishing creel with him; ALWAYS BE PREPARED. If somebody hands you a fish, you will be ready. Chuck does love to fly, but only when he can be three feet above the surface of water. I kind of wonder if DW’s dad took that photo himself, putting the camera on the ground and setting a timer? I can’t see somebody else lying on the ground! But you never know. Listen, I would tell you all about the famous vampire fight that my dad had, but it would take hours.
TokyoMagic!, thanks, and I’m glad you liked the pictures!
TokyoMagic!, oh no, that’s definitely a basket for fish. I got my degree in fish basket thingies, so I’m an expert.
Lou and Sue, I still don’t know where babies come from, but I guess fathers are a pretty important part of the equation?
Bu, lucky for me, my mom was the shutterbug, I think I have more photos with my dad than with her, though it’s not a lot of either. Still, better than nothing, and having recently scanned hundreds of family snapshots, I found a bunch that I didn’t remember. It was fun! Wow, what kind of camera did your dad get in Korea? A famous brand? I did not consider the special basket thingy for a roast chicken, which can be confused for a fishing creel at a distance. The Yacht Bar was a great piece of mid-century architecture, which is probably what doomed it; “mid-century” was synonymous with “old fashioned” in 1967. All of the “dad pix” are great, I lost my dad 10 years ago and while I think of him often, every once in a while a particularly vivid memory will pop into my head, including swimming at the giant public pool in Austin, Minnesota, hanging on to him because I hadn’t had swim lessons yet. I have no memories of the house in Evanston, so I can’t enlighten you about the crazy door layout.
Dea Finder, “Papa Gorilla” would have been a good name for me, but I need to mention my military rank.
JG, hey, I think that trashcan in Chuck’s photo eventually wen to college and went to work in Tomorrowland! DW looks to me to be 3 1/2, possibly four years old - but I don’t know how old he is now, so I can’t narrow down the year. And man, that car is amazing. During the “great family photo scan” event that I did earlier this year, I found lots of pictures of my dad with me and my siblings, some of them are really great. I sent jpegs to my brothers and sister! The only purse of my mom’s that I remember is a green bag - my dad bought it so that we (as little kids) could give it to her for her birthday, but I was so excited, I ruined the surprise beforehand. Oh well! Your picture from Tomorrowland is awesome, both a great father-son pic, and a great Disneyland pic. I wish I had one of me and my father like that!
Kathy! thank you (and nice to hear from you)!
Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there in Gorilla Land. All gems with a history behind them. David W's shot with him and his dad in front of the the Fairlane 500 brings flashbacks. Wish I could share something similar of our '58 Fairlane 500 4 door hardtop, aqua and white color. But it exists only in memory now. My dad loved that car!
A belated birthday wish to JG too. KS
Happy Father's Day!
JG- I did a little research on the 1958 Ford paint colors & the car is Colonial White & Desert Beige (although it has a pink cast in the photo). The side chrome trim has an inner area of gold with horizontal lines- that are difficult to see because of the lighting/reflections.
I'm 99.9% sure that mom took the photo & that the road surface was higher than the area next to it. Also mom was around 5'2"...
-DW
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