The Superior Express -

We have been talking about ways to keep a car cool in the hot weather before air conditioning came into use. Of course, the easiest way to feel the breeze was to own a convertible (often known as a “Rag Top”) because it had a cover which could be...

Before cars were air conditioned, during hot weather, drivers and passengers suffered from the heat. We had a 1938 Ford that had a “nose vent” that was located at the back of the hood and the cover could be raised and lowered to get air flow thr...

Growing up in Superior, I had lots of time to watch cars and trucks on the streets of Superior. One feature which deserves comment would be a common device call “mud flaps.” Many highways in the area were unpaved and had gravel surfaces. County roads...

As I was watching traffic on O Street in Lincoln, I noticed a small compact with something I had not seen since the 1950s – it had fender skirts. I remember the family 1950 Chevrolet Sedan had fender skirts on the rear wheels. The idea was to make t...

On the old 1930s and 1940s era automobiles there was a pedal at the extreme left side of the floor board which the driver used to switch the headlights from high beam to low beam. When my Aunt Lena got a Buick Super (three portholes instead of the 4...

Remembering back to my many Thanksgiving dinners growing up in Superior, I now realize how special they were. Aunt Lena and Aunt Freda, sisters of my father Paul, were regular attendees. Often present was my mother’s sister, Aunt Laura Koon, who l...

During my lifetime the simple matter of starting the engine on your car has undergone a big change. The 1941 Chevrolet which took my family through World War II and beyond used a starter pedal. On the floorboard of the car from left to right were...

When I was growing up in Superior, Dr. H. H. Miller was an older dentist who had his office behind the Security National Bank. He seemed old to me and Editor Blauvelt confirms that he had been in practice in Superior since before WWI. He was a...

Having been born May 31, 1940, I grew up with war being a prominent part of my early life. During World War II, Time and Life magazines were full of battlefield scenes and stories. Fox Movietone News, shown as a “short” before every feature at the...

In addition to digging the dandelions out of the lawn at my parents’ home in Superior, there were other invaders to contend with. As I was digging the dandelions, I was also dealing with them. Another unwelcome visitor was bindweed. Bindweed had l...

Often while growing up in Superior I would go to the Burlington Depot and watch the motor car trains come through town. The eastbound arrived at 9:15 a.m. and the westbound was through about 5:30 p.m. The trains carried lots of express packages handl...

When I was growing up in Superior, just about everyone’s lawn had a bright yellow flowers which my mother told me were dandelions, a weed that didn’t belong in a lawn. My father, the practical banker, wanted our lawn to set a good example. At tha...

The Easter holiday as I was growing up in Superior included coloring Easter eggs and a time for those yummy chocolate Easter bunnies. As I have aged, I still look forward to the Easter bunny treat, but through the years the solid chocolate Easter...

For many years the tall stacks of the cement plant west of Superior sent a plume of smoke into the sky. The kilns that turned crushed limestone into cement operated at high temperatures. In the winter, the smoke plume was thick when the hot air hit...

One of the most difficult tasks for an instrumental band instructor is how to keep band members practicing their instruments during the summer months. School is not in session and the lure of playing baseball or softball, hanging out at the swimming...

My parents always spent New Year’s Eve with the couple’s club that got together to play bridge once a month. They scheduled the January session for New Year’s Eve. This left me home by myself, although when I was younger Aunt Lena came to stay with...

Recently I saw a 1950s era Ford stationwagon fully restored to “as new” condition. As a part of the restoration, the stationwagon had white sidewall tires. When I was growing up in Superior, white sidewall tires were popular. These tires cost mor...

Recently, while visiting a Lincoln book store, I found a display of children’s books in a prominent position near the checkout stand. One of the books was a Peter Rabbit book. I almost bought it on impulse. Growing up in Superior, I had a lot a...

We had no day lilies at the Schmeling home at 1127 Kansas Street. I remember seeing them around town. The large Kate Scoular house on the southwest corner of tenth and Commercial streets had some and the “ghost house” south of the new, modern hom...