1962 – The Paperboy Goes To D.C.
As a paperboy for North Jersey’s The Record newspaper back in the early 60s, I sold a lot of subscriptions, which won me some prizes and trips, including ones to see the Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia and the New York Rangers in NYC at the old Madison Square Garden, which used to be on 8th Ave between 49th and 50th streets.
But in 1962, I won the biggie (along with about 40 other carriers): a bus trip to Washington, DC, to see all the sights over a two-day period:
My mother brought me to The Record to catch the bus and – OF COURSE – had to take some pictures, but I didn’t mind. It was a happy occasion.
She took this picture near the Record delivery truck bays. I’m 4th from the right in the light jacket/white socks and cool loafers, smiling and giving her a number 1 salute (at least I hope that’s what I was doing):
As the letter noted, we stayed at The Virginia Lodge – just across the Potomac in Alexandria, VA – and visited all the major monuments, plus the Treasury and the White House. We didn’t get in the WH – maybe JFK wasn’t home that day – but there’s a picture of me below, standing in front of the White House fence, wearing my Record Honor Carrier sweater.
One very odd thing that I recall about the motel: I had brought a portable radio and everyone in the room was happy that it could pick up our beloved WABC-AM in New York……………..but it did so only when the bathroom door was open! If anyone needed to take a shower, a shave, or a sh………………ampoo, the tunes ceased until he came out. Weird.
I also recall being at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for the Changing of the Guard. We also went to the nearby Iwo Jima Memorial, which I don’t recall, but I found the below picture amongst my other pix from that trip, so I guess I was there.
Obviously, I didn’t take the next picture, but I did take the three after that (recently).
Me at the White House wearing my Honor Carrier sweater:
The Honor Carrier sweater survived!
Another Honor Carrier goodie that I saved………..looks almost brand-new:
My mother saved my carrier bag. I recently filled it with newspapers, but the front-page pictures were in color – something that didn’t exist in 1962 – so I made it a black & white.
The Record did a story about the trip the day after we left:
It was a great first trip without my parents, which means that most of the subsequent ones WITH them were not so great, but I guess that’s what happens when you get a little taste of freedom.
After 1962, I imagine that I got involved with teenage stuff, high school, college and work and didn’t really begin to start documenting anything until I finally found some photographic footing in the 70s.
LATE FIND!
A few years after making this post, I found this rolled-up and cracked image from that trip amongst my parents’ possessions in 2021. I don’t recall being at the Capitol, so I don’t recall having our picture taken. And I’m wearing the old Honor Carrier sweater:
This is great stuff! I love The Bergen Record bag. When I worked there, a certain big shot would always insist that The Record was never called The Bergen Record…. and I would reply that it was only called The Bergen Record by everyone who read it… Your newspaper bag proves that it was called The Bergen Record by management as well.
Interesting story! The Bergen Record was my family’s old paper growing up so I love your newspaper carrier bag. You and your friends look like extras on Leave It To Beaver, by the way!