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Kathleen Wintering (Nagy)

I remember going to the Kahiki f  and I think it was for Prom; so I would have gone with Mike McLeod!  Kathy Wintering

James Hamilton, M. D.

David Mitchell

I was among the great unwashed who never made it to the Kahiki. Pretty far out of the way for us Beechwold kids.

I went to Presutti's for both proms. Junior year with Shauna from Kingston near Circleville (my second ex-wife), and Senior year with Blanche Rishe. Presutti's was our family "Dress Up" place. I will always remember Papa and Mama Presutti - he in his little formal tux, and her in her flowing big gowns. And didn't they have a piano player in the middle of the room on a little raised stage with plastic flowers cascading around the white wrought iron gazebo?

Or am I thinking of someplace else  - maybe the Jai Lai or the Clermont on South High?

(or was it Prezutti with a z?)

I went to both of our proms, but the Cotillion leaves only a vague memory. I did get asked to go to St. Mary's of the Springs prom with Jane Connor, a tall cutie from my OLP class. And I got asked to go to two "Cherry Balls" at St. Joes. One year with Susie Russeau (I.C. - former neighbor before they moved down to IC). And the next year I went to same Ball at St. Joe's with Anne Crawford (family friend) from St. Mike's. I seem to recall the St. Joe's Ball's both included sit-down dinner on site.

The next time I get asked to go to a Prom I'm gonna suggest we try Taco Bell. That way we can make a run for the border.  

---------------

Anybody remember the old Worthington Inn? I had a historic post card collection (now lost) with the "W-Inn" on the photo showing a sign out front advertising Chicken Dinners for something like $6.00. 

And gas at the Sunoco station on Indianola was .39 cents a gallon.

I tell ya' - "Kicks just keep gettin' harder to find".

David Mitchell

Larry,

I remember a few games at St. John Arena when we spotted Woody sitting in a corner near the end line of the court - down low, about 4 rows up from the floor. I seem to recall watching him standing courtside at half-time conversing with Fred Taylor a couple times. Just momentary conversations. Only saw Woody there a few times. 

As I mentioned earlier - I had priveledges around Campus that few could match (spoiled? - yup). Dad was a department head in the Med School for 43 years, so I grew up with free tickets to virtually everything!  All sports, guest speakers, (Werner Von Braun, Dr. Tom Dooley, etc.). I think I saw most sophemore and senior home games at St. John for Lucas/Havlicek/Nowell era and did not miss one game of their undefeated (until the NCAA finals) Junior year. I'll save a fun memory for later in Basketball season.  

David Mitchell

I know we are not supposed to get political but I just want to give a shout out today for my South Carolina U.S. Senator Tim Scott. He is the South's only Black Conservative Republican. Today he showed some balls - something I find missing in most of the party I have struggled my best to claim some allegience to. (And it's getting harder to do every day.) Unfortunately, most of them have gone off and joined the Circus Clowns Union, the Klu Klux Klan, or become full time vassals of Wall Street of "Big Pharma". 

Today Senator Scott voted against one of "you-know-who's" nominees to a federal Court Judge - one Thomas Farr. Judge Farr was proven without much doubt to have been instrumental for many years of Jesse Helms' efforts to block Black voters in North Carolina. And Tim's vote (and Jeff Flake's) killed the nomination.

Thanks Senator Tim.  U da man!  

I cannot seem to load the article from USA Today but here is Senator Tim Scott. Wish we had a few more like him. He is his own man. 

James Hamilton, M. D.

David Mitchell

Jim,

This was not a dressy place but we used to go meet Dad downtown (when he held his weekly evening patient hours - in the Beggs Building at State and High!) at place called Paoletti's somewhere about two blocks behind the Statehouse along State Street I think. Great italian food - at least we thought so. Long gone in the sixties.

Wasn't Ricardo's Villa a "party house - like for receptions? One of my older cousin's wedding receptions was there and so were some others wedddings of friends. Wasn't it over towards the Linden area? Maybe I am thinking of Ilonka's??

I'm also recalling Sea Food Bay on w. 5th and the landmark Marzetti's downtown - two well known places but we NEVER went to either one.

On a more casual level, when I stayed over at my cousins on Lane Avenue we used to go to Stew Harrison's on W 5th. (or 3rd?) A place that lasted years and added newer rooms, but kept one old room with the booths full of carved initials.

In my teen age years the true mark of a great restaurant was a great hamburger. 

Fred Clem

Jim,

Presutti's Villa was a favorite of our family as well.  My parents held their wedding reception there in December 1945.  Mama & Papa Presutti always recognized them and treated us accordingly, usually with  a complimentary dessert.

                                         (Image from a Presutti's Villa postcard)

There was a very good Italian restaurant in the Clintonville-Beechwold area: The Fontanelle operated in Graceland Shopping Center.  It closed in 2003.

Dave,

Paoletti's was on S. Third St. (next to th Dispatch building and across the street from the State House Annex).  It closed in 1973.  I used to eat lunch there with Mike Boulware.  He worked downtown @ Berry's Sporting Goods.

Ricardo's was a restaurant on Oakland Park Avenue, 2 blocks east of Karl Road.  It was owned by the Vittorio and Rossetti families.  Joe Vittorio (BWHS 1965) was the last operator.  He sold the property to anational drugstore chain.  My great uncle, Sam Karam, was the chef there for generations.  Imagine a man of Lebanese parentage making all those wonderful Italian dishes (his wife and my grandmother were sisters).

David Mitchell

Thanks Fred,

I love it!

You and Larry should be in charge of our national historic archives.

p.s. I had a hunch you'd "bite" on this one - ha!

James Hamilton, M. D.

Dave,

Ricardo's had a party room downstairs (we had our IC athletic banquets there) but the upstairs was divided into two dining rooms, one velvety red and the other blue.

Fred,

Bob Susi's Fontanelle Lounge was my parents - and my - favorite place for nice lunches, as it was for hundreds of north Columbus and Worthington residents. I had very few dinners there but always would have a lunch or two whenever I was back in C-bus. Christmas was always fun with the waitresses dressed up in pseudo-Santa Helper outfits. It was another one of those Italian eataries with OSU Sports memorabilia and autographed pictures of famous people who had dined there.

There are so many of these places that I miss...

Jim

Michael McLeod

I see we are back to talking about all of Dave Mitchell's girlfriends.

I think Dave needs to establish a separate site just to cover that extensive subject.

Kathleen Wintering (Nagy)

Did Mr. Presutti bring out jewelry from his safe to show your parents when you went there with your family? He had some very beautiful things and he was a nice man! Kathy Wintering

David Mitchell

Mike,

That's just how I roll bro.

David Mitchell

Just thinking back when a Republican president was basically honest, clean living, and somewhat competent.

What a concept !

George H.W. Bush - a rest well earned. 

Michael McLeod

Yep. Sorry he had to suffer at the end there, watching someone he despised dishonor his legacy. 

David Mitchell

And I still think Barbara was tops - in a class all by herself. 

John Maxwell

David Mitchell

"Some political people do lie all the time, and step over their friend to achieve the objective themselves. But I’m one who believes that one’s word of honor is about one of the most fundamentally important things there is."

G.H.W. Bush

Mark Schweickart

Jack -- 1) You'll need to take a moment once your head has thawed from all of this outdoor male-bonding experiences you've been having, and tell us what this was all about. I am not at all clear on what the point of these sessions are. 2) I think you and Mike are correct in remembering the stolen Street-Rat items were sweatshirts, not T-shirts, as I had said. I am surprised you know the back story about the artist. Did we know that at the time (I don't think so)? In fact your post was the first I had heard of that. 3) Another way to get into St. Johns Arena and the Football Stadium, was the way myself and Ken Seminsky did, we worked as Coca-Cola vendors marching up and down the aisles. COKE HERE!!! The bad news was that we never really saw any of the games, but it was kind of cool being there. Except the very first day we did this, they still were using the old wooden crates that held a dozen glass bottles, which became rididulously heavy after awhile, and tedious. When you got a sale, you had to pour the drink into a cup, that you also carried. The glass bottle had remption value, plus, they didn't want potential projectiles lying about, in the event the game did not go as desired. Fortunately,  the very next game introduced the switch-over to prefilled cups in a lightweight aluminum tray. Yay!  Then the nemesis was the weather. As the season moved from warm September to the colder months, the only attendees  interested in a Coke were those who had brought their flasks of bourbon or rum, and wanted a mixer. Sales slumped, but you still couldn't just sit down and watch the game, so it was less than terrific.

Dave -- I will keep this brief because I know we want to minimize political discourse here, plus, I know it isn't very nice to speak ill of the recently departed. Nonetheless, just let me say, there is a lot of information about how nefarious GHW and his clan have been over the years. I book I read on the subject was by Russ Baker, who I think used to be syndicated in one of the Columbus papers back in the 70's. You may remember him as being rather levelheaded in his columns. His book is entitled, Family of Secrets. And if you go to the Amazon page for books about the Bush family, you will see Mr. Baker is far from being alone in presenting an unflattering portrait. I know, I know, there are always several crack-pot conspiracy views about whomever the subject may be these days, so one has to be judicious in evaluating the claims being made. Nonetheless, my point is, there may have been much to this former head of the CIA than we were ever aware.

John Jackson

I’m going to side with Dave and Mike and Jack on Bush 41.  I didn’t vote for him (either time) and, like all Presidents, he had his lapses (the Willie Horton ad comes to mind), but by and large he was a decent and honorable man who did what he thought was best for the country.  And his willingness to raise taxes, while also insisting on spending cuts, helped get us out of the ruinous deficits brought on by the Reagan tax cuts and constituted a real act of political courage (which probably cost him re-election).

He was also the personification of noblesse oblige – the idea that if you’ve been given a lot, you are obligated to give a lot back - a concept sadly lacking in our increasingly income–stratified country.

I’ll resist the temptation to make any snarky comparisons between Bush 41 and the boastful, lying, insecure, and self-absorbed buffoon who is our current President other than to say I only wish we had someone like Bush 41 to lead us now.

On a final note – are we giving the Scribe of Orlando a pass on his second misspelling?  Janie, after a second offense don’t you have to sit out for a week?

David Mitchell

Mark

I AM actually aware of some of the very "irregular" business doings of the entire Bush family.

His father, Senator  Prescot Bush of Connecticut (born in Columbus Ohio) was accused of several unfavorable charges; A) he acquired a great deal of his wealth as a NYC Banker who handled the funds for one of Hitler's early financial supporters - one Fritz Thyssen. Thyssen later was "divorced" from Hiter and I believe the connection with Bush Sr. was later judged to be without political motive or influenence. B) He was also later connected with a rumored plot to assisinate Roosevelt - never proven, I believe?  C) Ironically, he later led a group that atttempted to pressure Eisenhower into signing an early Civil Rights Bill, which Eisenhower refused to sign.

I am aslo keenly aware of younger brother (corrrection - younger son)  Neil's episode with Silverado Savings. I was living in Denver at the  time and knew several of the key players in that illegal scheme. Neil nor any of the main culprits - other officers of the Savigns and Loan, a local homebuilder, (who a good personal friend worked for - and quit because she saw things that didn't "look right"), a well known Law firm (Bronstein), and an  accountant I used to work with at the same real estate firm. NOTE: Yes, Niel and many others should have gone to jail over that one - NONE DID!

And I am a aware of Bush 43's very questionable sale of his interest in the Texas Rangers - a deal in which he came out a huge winner, while other investors were fleeced out of millions.

And I am aware of Jeb's unexplainable relief from a large real estate loan write off - for no apparent reason other than his family name.

No, I do get it Mark. Money talks and rank has it's priviledges. As for this late GHW Bush's term at the CIA, I will withhold comment.

As to the Iran Contra affair, I still bleive Reagan kept him out fo the loop (from almost everything - I don't think they really trusted one another privately)

So I limit my praise to the man during his 12 years as V.P. and President. 

OH YES, and his service as a Navy fighter pilot in the Pacific. 

Michael McLeod

A recommendation: the documentary about Joan Didion, The Center Will Not Hold, is just marvelous. I highly recommend it. Caught it on Netflix and immediately shared it with my significant other, for whom Didion was a longtime fave. The range and the depth of Didion's accomplishments as an essayist -- absolutely one of the greatest of our generation -- is just astonishing, from tackling the darkness of the flower power era to contending with grief with such astonishing courage. An incredibly courageous writer and woman.

Kathleen Wintering (Nagy)

George Bush really was quite a statesman for our country and I too,  thought the world of Barbara Bush as First Lady!  Kathy Wintering

Michael McLeod

A gorgeous tribute that illustrates the ability to disagree without disrespect and the vast gap between coarseness and class.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/02/opinion/george-hw-bush-maureen-dowd.html

John Jackson

Mike, I really enjoyed Maureen Dowd's piece.