Hyde Park Ice Rink - circa 1950s

(Submitted by JB)

I received a phone call from Colorado this afternoon and the guy said, “this is a voice from the past and I saw you on StenzTV and looked up your phone number.”

It was a fellow from NF who I knew as a child when he was ice skating on the outdoor rink at Hyde Park (where the senior center is now) and I was the Rink Rat (the guard on the ice). We became friends and I lost track of him after he graduated from high school. In fact, he is one of the guys with his back turned in the photo at Carroll’s Drive-In on Main St I submitted. We had a nice chat and I pulled out my file of photos from when he was a kid (he’s a grandfather now) and scanned them and said I’d send the originals to him.

Back in the era of 1950-60’s there was an outdoor ice rink (artificially frozen) in front of the “big pool” and stadium at Hyde Park. The original warm-up building is now part of the John Duke Senior Center, and the ice rink extended from that building, north towards what was a line of poplar trees. One of the “stars” on the ice during that time was an elderly gentleman named Tom, who owned and operated a tie shop on Falls Street (before Urban Renewal). He was a fine man and wonderful figure skater and was always willing to show young folks how to skate. Being a camera-bug, I took many photos and these 4 are of a few of the kids on the ice with whom I became friends. Because of StenzTV.com, after 50 years apart, Jeff Walker, now a grandfather and living in Colorado, saw my name and contacted me. It was great to reminisce about old times and catch up on our lives.


(click any image to enlarge)