Levittown and its iconic water tower still have a strong pull on early residents - Part 2

Kathy Stahlman Zinn (1963)

The water tower is a Levittown icon, not only because I could see it from my house on Butternut Lane, but because, for my family it signified the Azalea Lane pool, where we spent so many glorious childhood days.

My attachment to the nine years I lived in Levittown involves many factors: First, it was the freedom for a city child, moving out of a three-story, walk-up apartment in Queens at age seven, to the freedom of our own house and our own yard. It is the importance of those years, from seven to 16, that encompassed most of my impressionable years and early education.

And, in the last 30 years, as an adult, it has been the increasing realization that my WW II veteran father and my family were who Levittown was built for - we, and our teachers, were part of a "grand plan" to create, not only a new United States, but a new world - a little grandiose, to be sure, and we haven't quite fulfilled those dreams. But I believe that is what our parents and teachers were driven by, and what some of us, in our teens and early 20s, later rebelled against, as we saw the cracks in the dream.

There have been times when I have been embarrassed by my Levittown roots, as was my best friend, growing up. At first, this was due to all the criticism that Levittown and other developments drew of "being all made out of ticky-tacky and all looked just the same". However, I was proud of all the changes my father made to our home, and I did not think either our homes or we residents were made of "ticky tacky' nor were we all the same. But the public perception bothered me.

Later I was even more embarrassed when I learned more about the early racial biases that kept other striving, middle class veterans, albeit of a darker skin, from fulfilling their dream. Thankfully, that story changed more quickly in our Levittown than in other Levittowns. But people still confuse our Levittown with, especially the one in Pennsylvania.

I am now proud to tell people I grew up in Levittown, New York. I look back, and recognize that there was so much that was idyllic about our childhoods there. I am sure there were "behind the scenes" stories in our little Cape Cod and ranch houses. At times I secretly thought my family was one of those dysfunctional ones written about in late 1950s and early 1960s books and magazines.

Now I realize everything is relative and we were very blessed, perhaps naive, as were our parents, in the freedom and resources and lack of classism in our community. I hope some of this remains today, when people old enough to be my grandchildren are about to graduate from Division Avenue High School.

Arnie Galeota (1961)

My fondest attachments are to so many things including the North Village Green where we spent so many snowy days getting out of the harsh weather where we could still all hang together. Naturally, the owner would spot us and throw us out. I remember going to the Saturday morning football games, to an away game in a big motorcade or being at home with a big celebration that night if we won. There was also sneaking a beer at Sid's deli with a juicy kosher hotdog. Also, the excitement of the senior prom which became an expensive but fun weekend, and of course senior cut day.

The logistics of Levittown were convenient in relation to Jones Beach, also the most exciting city on earth, New York City, and Hempstead where the shopping was good.

The time was relatively stress free. We came out of a war in Korea and the economy was good. The music still lives on and drugs were not a huge problem. It would be 13 years before we got stuck in another war.

Our back yards had apple and peach trees and most of our moms were housewives creating a family atmosphere. We'd cruise Hempstead Turnpike and eat at McDonald's or Wetsons.

The water tower never played an important part in my social life. It was just a landmark to remind me what town I lived in and how happy and lucky I was.

Water tower photos were taken this week by Marilyn Monrud Frese, classs of 1963

Levittown and its water tower still have a magnetic pull on those who lived there in the beginning - Part 1

Many of us old Levittowners still have a special attachment to the home of our youth. What follows are comments about the water tower and the Zippy cartoon that appeared in the blog on March 21. We have a personal attachment to a town, a time and place from so long ago.

Lillian Smith Handleman (1962)

I copied the water tower photo and the Zippy cartoon and will frame them together, I think. This cartoon about the tower is a little spooky, however, in that it does express the whole "going back in time" Levittown phenomenon. The cartoon expresses the secret longings of those who grew up there and can't seem to escape its magnetic draw. Levittown memories carry us back, time and time again. Something about Levittown...I don't know what it is.

Russ Mulroy (Levittown Memorial 1961)

The cartoon raises an interesting question: do we really mentally age or are we stuck at 16 - 17 internally and why such love for things that happened 50 years ago? Maybe missing our youth is the answer.

Dewain Lanfear (1960)

Regarding the water tower, I have nothing to contribute since my only experience with it was to walk past it on my way to Rich Humbert or Joan Lucas's house. However on the topic of never growing beyond our high school days ("Zippy" and Russ Mulroy) I have some thoughts.

For good or for bad, few of us would deny that our days in high school were important formative ones. Most of us learned through experience what worked for us and what didn't. Teens typically try different personas, as most parents can attest. Some work and some don't.

Come to the reunions and see how easy it is to recognize and reconnect with long time friends. (note I avoided the use of "old"). That's because we've simply become "high school us" 2.0. Research has shown that our taste in clothes, food, and music all are formed between ages 17-24. We really are very much who we were in high school.

Being interested in that time doesn't show a lack of moving on, but rather an attempt to put some puzzling aspects of our lives in perspective. Events that occurred 50 years ago look different today than they did on the day they happened. Who cares? Well, I think the unexamined life is not worth living (not an original thought by a long shot), so trying to make sense out of our teen angst might help us understand where we are today.

Toni Crescenzo Gelfer (1968)

The Levittown water tower is a suburban icon which evokes strong images whenever I see it. It seems that this is not an isolated occurrence, but quite common to those who were fortunate enough to live in its broad shadow.

My experience is always the same. I see it and a flood of thoughts starts, beginning with the baby pool and family, moving forward to being 10 and with a tag on my ankle being so proud of getting in to a Levittown swimming pool unattended. Then the teen years, of relationship sorrows, anticipations and triumphs. The whole thing can be likened to your life passing before you in a near death experience and yet I am alive and so are my vivid, beautiful memories.

______

Part 2 will be posted later this week.

Zippy the Pinhead does Levittown's water tower of power

Click on Zippy to enlarge

Thanks to Bill Griffith for permission to use his "Tower of Power" strip. He is a 1962 graduate of McArthur High School in Levittown.

There is an inscription on the strip between the third and fourth panels that states, "Tip o’ the pin to: Jon Buller." A cartoonist himself, Buller is a 1961 Division Avenue High School graduate. The reason for this credit is that he provided the photos that Griffith used as reference.

Bill Griffith's website is:

http://www.zippythepinhead.com/

I saw the water tower everyday of my life in Levittown

By LILETTE LEVY BAGWIN

Class of 1960

I enjoy reading your blog page. I love looking at the old pictures and the water tower was especially meaningful because it was something that I saw everyday of my life in Levittown. It often acted like a GPS when I was not sure where I was. If it was on my right, and close by, I knew I was close to home. I never climbed on it, it never even occurred to me.

I often think back how we children roamed all over Levittown without worrying about any danger. I often walked home (285 Orchid Road) from school after dark and never considered what bad things could happen. Isn't that strange when you compare it to how our children care for our grandchildren? Every moment is a fear filled moment if the children are not in their sight. Our current world is a different place than our idyllic home in Levittown.

Were there crimes against children when we were young and also in high school? There must have been, but I can't seem to remember kidnappings, rapes, murders, etc. I wonder if other early Levittowners recall any such problems.

ABOUT LILETTE

She has a toy poodle named Cricket and he is her best friend. Lilette is having her second knee replacement on March 21st. And best of all, she has a nine-year old grandson, Bryce. She has lived in the same house in Denver for 39 years and is a retired math teacher. Along with Ira Selsky, Lilette was voted most whitty in the class of 1960.

Levittown's symbolic water tower lingers in our memories

By FRANK BARNING

If anything is a symbol of Levittown, New York it is the huge water tower at the corner of Azalea Road and Hilltop Road. It could be seen from miles away and was used as a landmark if someone became lost either walking or driving. Toni Crescenzo Gelfer, class of 1968, described it as "Omnipresent."

A 2009 photo of the structure by Tom Urban was recently the topic of a spirited discussion on Facebook. Several Division Avenue High School graduates from the 1960s participated, Tom among them, contributing information and remembrances.

Originally, the water tower was a checkerboard red and white. Eventually, it was painted green, as it appears in Urban's photo, but the people I asked did not recall when the colors were changed.

Some of the boys climbed to the top on dares or under the influence of spirits. This was the highest point in our town, Levittown's answer to the Empire State Building.

I moved to Levittown as a 12-year old in late 1954 and spent countless hours in the water tower's shadow, playing basketball. Mark Scope who went to Levittown Memorial High School also played hoops there. I have a vivid recollection that someone climbed the tower and painted "Scope Sucks" in large letters.

Here are comments posted on Facebook:

Susan Weldon (Division Avenue High class of 1960) wrote: I was there when the cops caught Warren Zaretsky on the top of the tower. When one of them stated, "This is illegal young man", Warren answered "no shit Sherlock".

Urban (1960) wrote: If you sat on the walkway that ran around the top of the tower you could see Wantagh Parkway winding towards Jones Beach. On a clear night it was peaceful. You could also clearly see the police cars at the North Village Green should they head your way.

He also stated: I cringe when I remember some "bad boys" unscrewing the bulbs on the very top. P.S. the access cover on the very top was not locked. Dangerous if you were to fall in but very tempting for green food dye around St. Patty's Day. Never materialized but tempting just the same....."very Bad Boys". And I yelled at my kids for missing curfew.

Your blogger replied to Urban: How many of the guys urinated over the side of the tower? It would seem like the natural thing to do for Levittown boys we knew, right Tom?

Tom Urban replied: Never did that Frank. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Walt Linder (1961) mentioned: I think my brother Paul did the water tower also. My parents had to go to the police station to get him.

Leslie Sands Bell (1968) remembers: the tower had raindrops (condensation) hitting us as we walked to the swimming pool on Azalea Road. It was refreshing!

Jeff Peyton (1961) commented: the late Al Baldwin (1961) had a prized red dome he had retrieved off the catwalk and made it into a lamp.

Jim McGrath (1960) bragged: Didn't spend much time at the tower. Was spending my time parked in Abbey Lane School's parking lot.