O V - The Nickel Tour VI - Recent Mail Archives: 2003

~See Norfolk Library Archives~ ~See Historic OV Postcards!~
~ OV Tour MAIL ~ 2003
See OV Mail Archives: 2002 & 2001 & 1998-2000
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THANKS so much to all OV Tour contributors, on behalf of all OV Natives & Tourists!
Check out our Bullboard for images/text of frequent contributors-- Dew Drop Inn & LOG ON --Thanks, RK

Sun 12/21/2003 11:01 AM From: Dixie Griffin Subject: The original Dixie
Visited your website. Was flabbergasted to see Dixie's Grocery. My father bought the store in the late '50s from a Mrs. Whitlock, when it was Whitlock's Grocery. It had a cast iron, pot bellied stove for heat and the building owner, a Mrs Hughes, lived in the back of the building... I usually drive down Willoughby while I'm there, but I can hardly figure out where I am anymore. I keep expecting to see the amusement park!
-- D.M. Griffin, Jr. Ph.D., P.E. Professor of Civil Engineering Department of Civil Engineering Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA
See Professor Griffin's vintage Willoughby!

Tue 11/11/2003 6:10 AM From: Len Ashburn Subject: How is it possible?
Roberta: ...Have you ever considered publishing the plethora of information on your site into a book? ...it would be a hot seller...enjoyed your tour of the NOB and the NAS. I lived on Randall Avenue in the late thirties and that was right under the traffic pattern for the NAS. My parents later lived at 9021 Granby St., just a short block north of the site of the plane crash in the early 60's that took out three houses across from the old telephone building. Do you or any of your readers know what happened to the Japanese bridge at the NOB, a relic, I believe, of the Jamestown Exhibition? I'm told it was torn out right after Pearl Harbor... It would be nice to see a picture of it and to know what happened to it.
Len Ashburn Indianapolis, IN

Hi Len: The bridge was before our time living just outside Gate 4 --but see Lagoon --added to the NOB/NAS page along with a new page Jamestown Expo -- & click to enlarge image (left) --uncovered for you in research, captioned as follows:
Sailors coming into Hampton Roads are getting their last glimpse of this old concrete bridge which has been a landmark here for 37 years. Built for the Jamestown Exposition in 1907, the bridge was used as a walkway over the lagoon separating the Exposition Grounds. Oddly enough, it was built by the Japanese as their contribution to the Exposition commemorating the 300th anniversary of the first permanent English settlement in America. It is now considered a hazard. The demolition of the bridge is expected to take about a month. NTS [Norfolk Training Station] was founded on the Exposition Grounds in 1917. Norfolk Seabag (4/15/44)
As always Len, your questions & comments are treasures! --R K

Wed 11/12/2003 4:29 PM From: sandygiz@aol.com Subject: OV - movie
I love your site - it is so cool to see all of the photos. I remember seeing The Death of Ocean View Park as a child several times and recently when I was in the area, I got to see where the park was. It was great to find your site and get to see all of the pictures. I'd love to see the movie again, but can't find it anywhere - do you happen to know anywhere that has copies of this movie for sale? Thanks - Sandy Crayton Richmond

Hi Sandy-- Thanks for your kind words. Let's see if any of our visitors can help with this one. --R K

Fri 10/28/2003 5:06 PM From: peggy.haile-mcphillips@norfolk.gov Subject: Ocean View "alumni"
I’ve enjoyed reading your nickel tours of Ocean View, and thank you for including me on your mailing list. I have a question that I hope you may be able to help with, or to point me in the right direction. I’m looking for any “famous or connected” people who are or were from Ocean View – people who are well known outside of the area, but who have OV roots. I know of a number of people with Norfolk roots, but none specifically from OV. Can you help?? Peggy McPhillips City Historian/Norfolk Public Library

Hello Peggy: I'm a big fan and am pleased to help you out. I remember John Wesley Shipp from his role as Kelly on "Guiding Light" because my mother was a huge CBS Soap fan. While with GL (mid 80's), I recall seeing a Virginian-Pilot article about him --as having been raised by his grandmother in Willoughby. He also played Officer Roy Larson (mid 90's) on NYPD Blue and attempted to woo Janice Licalsi (Amy Brenneman) who was the love interest of Detective John Kelly (Sipowitz' first partner/David Caruso). He was a bit paranoid due to steroids used in body building. He tried to tell John he could get him into shape and did his most remembered scene: standing in the hallway above the stairwell nude, slapping his own nude butt to drive his point home to both detectives, Andy & John. Lieutenant Fancy walked in on the scene --One nice butt, if you'll forgive editorializing. He was asked for a drug test and was positive for cocaine --so, told to turn in his badge. Give me a little time to pick my brain, and I'll get back if I think of more. I'll post your email at the top of Tour 6-- we may get some responses to this poser. Thoughts anyone? --R K

Fri 10/24/2003 10:11 PM From: jimbo8331@cox.net Subject: Wow
Just heard about this site tonite and it looks like I'm in for a whole lot of good reminiscing. Grew up in OV during the war (2)-- my mother ran a rooming and boarding house next door to Annie Griswold's NEW RICHMOND HOTEL. Ours was called the Virginia Cottage. Gotta a million fond memories --Ocean View School, running the streets & shining shoes at the Park. Never will forget the day I broke Annie's neon sign. Someone ratted on me and I was told to go out and make the money to pay the $13.75 repair bill. Next day when the sailors started getting off the streetcars, I headed for the Park with shoeshine box in hand. Late that night, about 12 or 1 o'clock, I knocked on Annie's door, handed her the full amount and proudly went to sleep on our front porch that night. This was not unusual, since my bed had been rented out to a defense worker until he found other living arrangements. I now hunt the beaches with a metal detector and have no doubt found change that I might have lost over a half century ago. Who said,"Nostalgia isn't what it used to be"?...and who came up with the slogan: OCEAN VIEW, PART OF WHAT MAKES NORFOLK GREAT-- Let's just leave out the "part of what"... Would never think of leaving OV.
Jim Daniel OV, VA

Fri 10/17/2003 1:45 PM From: ovpcwhizva@aol.com Subject: Izzy at Sea
You might want to remove the pic, as it's a hoax. See following link at snopes.com
--Otherwise, great site, I'm a fellow OV'er, on Hickory Street. Jean OV, VA
Thanks for letting us in on it, Jean! --R K

Tue 10/7/2003 11:08 AM From: nwagner@ix.netcom.com Subject: Great OV Site
Wanted to send out a thanks for the site. It is totally amazing that you have so much information. Brings back a lot of memories. My family has lived in the OV for more than sixty years (The Bowens from Lorengo Avenue that comprised of Joe, Leo, Bucky, Andrea, Marion, Mary Anne and Janie). My mother, Andrea and the female siblings went to Holy Trinity when it was a high school and my uncles went to Barry Robinson. I went to Holy Trinity and Norfolk Catholic in the eighties. Your site recalled half days at Holy Trinity --with a few friends going to the end of Granby for a chili dog & coke (yes, Doug's chili dogs beat Lou's or the Hotdog King every time) then to Pretlow Library to check out books --it seemed big back then, but now has to be the smallest library in the country. I still try to align my need for a haircut with trips to OV. What better way to find out what is going on than to get a haircut & debriefing at Mr. Davenport's (although I always feel bad for anyone else cutting hair there because everyone waits for Mr. Davenport). I also grew up playing golf on the Golf Course with my uncles and grandfather. It's always good to see a lot of the same guys out there on weekends. I love the picture of the Ocean View Country Club share of stock you have. Hard to believe it was actually a country club. I guess that was back in the hey days when Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus would come to play a practice round. Although we have had Tiger show up recently. I think the course used to actually cross over the train tracks, but that may be a myth that my uncles told me. My mother just sold her house in Willoughby a few weeks ago --the last in our family to still live in OV. Seems the lure of Virginia Beach has taken a hold of my family. It’s a shame Leo is gone, for I am sure he would still be there. I ended up buying my grandparents house on Lorengo a couple of years ago just to make sure it stayed in the family. It is amazing what a hold that area has on you.
- Nick Wagner Washington, DC

Fri 9/26/2003 7:14 PM From: cltedavid@carolina.rr.com Subject: Your Website (Oceanview)
Roberta, I was surfing the web today and came across your site. I was born & raised in Norfolk, lived mostly in Oceanview (Oceanair & EOV, near Chesapeake St). I went to Oceanair Elementary, Northside Jr. High & Norview High. Looking through your site brought back tons of memories. My first summer job was at OV Recreation Center, cutting through the OV Golf Course to get to the Game Room, sneaking into the Park is also one of my fonder memories. I used to hang out at Harry's, Lil Joe's & the Thirsty Camel. I haven't been back in years, however OV will always be home for me. I've jotted down a poem for all my friends from OV.
Eddie David (41 years young) Charlotte, NC
Eddie wrote again on Fri 10/3/2003 2:07 PM asking:
So Isabel really hit you guys pretty hard huh? How did Harrison’s Fishing Pier hold up??

Tues 9/9/03 1:25 PM From: kenricva@yahoo.com Subject: Ocean View Memories
[<==click!] I was reading today's story about Harrison's Pier which lead me to your website. Your's is without a doubt the best local website I have encountered. Looking at the old amusement park pictures really brought back some memories for me. We'd twist our parents' arms hard to convince them to load up and drive from Moyock to Norfolk to take us to Ocean View. What a blast that was. I now live and work in the Richmond area and check regularly for news.
Thanks for a great website! Kenny Powers Richmond, VA

Fri 7/25/03 5:23 PM From: fettytitanic@att.net Subject: Ocean View/Willoughby Spit
After my many, many visits to your site I am convinced. I'll start seeking apartments in Ocean View, Willoughby Spit. This site makes me want to come home. Friends have been telling me of more changes in OV. I hate to hear it-- we want change, but not at the expense of blue-collar workers. Thank you for making me miss what I had, and for what I can never have back. Can't wait to eat at those north Norfolk places. Again thanks for making me homesick. See you this fall, or next spring in beautiful Ocean View.
Ronald B. Fetty, Jr. Ormond-By-The-Sea, FL

Sun 7/20/03 7:48 PM From: lenashburn@indy.rr.com Subject: Contact
Joe & Millie Segal contacted me after seeing my name/something I wrote on your website. They lived in Suburban Park in the same building we lived in, from 1941 to 1950. My sister babysat for them. We've had no contact for 50 years, though Millie taught at Granby for 19 years. All of us are so pleased. Thanks to RKPuma.Com and the wonderful world of the internet. Len Ashburn Indianapolis, IN

Tue 7/8/03 9:02 PM From: LLLVM@cox.net Subject: Ocean View Tour
Roberta-- Here are those additional items: Hope's Drugstore, 1929 stock in the Ocean View Golf & Country Club, an OV Park Boardwalk postcard and more. Thanks, Lance Wright, Norfolk

Tue 7/1/03 11:04 AM From: tom_mcdade@hotmail.com Subject: VA Beach
Dear Roberta, Here are the Norwegian Lady & Virginia Beach Dome (<==> click) images. Drugstore Wars reminds me of my hometown: Pawtucket, RI. There was a beautiful old theatre called the Leroy which went rock & roll toward the end. If you search online for "Grateful Dead" you get the Leroy. It's immortalized on film. The film American Buffalo was filmed in downtown Pawtucket. The Leroy was demolished and a Walgreen's stands in its place. There were many efforts to save it --but never a large rich voice. Pawtucket once had a racetrack called Narragansett Park since 1934. In the late 70s, the mayor of Pawtucket announced that if they tried to open, he'd close all roads leading there. It's now an industrial park. A piece of the clubhouse stands and is a discount store. The seafood grabbed me--the sizes run little necks, cherrystones and Quohaugs. There are soft shelled clams called steamers. Many commute to NYC; my wife takes the train to Stamford every day. I drive 84 miles round trip to work in Meriden. We lived in Bridgeport for 8 years which was a "real" neighborhood. Lot of renovation going on there. It's the home of the P.T. Barnham Museum. The mayor who spearheaded all the renewal is awaiting a 10 year jail term. Best, Tom McDade Monroe, CT

Thanks for remembering the OV Tour, Tom --in appreciation, since we don't really have a VB section, I'm posting the Cape Henry Lights here; it can be reached Oceanfront, before you get on Shore Drive and also across from the Seashore State Park entrance. --R K

Sun 6/28/03 7:17 PM From: LLLVM@cox.net Subject: Ocean View Tour
Roberta-- My wife Linda & I visit your OV Tour often. These images are mostly from the 1930s...
Our family had Wright's Fishery at Cottage Line and further back, Lamberts (oystermen in 1870).
By 1921 when Ellie E. (Elsie) Lambert worked for her dad at Lambert Fisheries...
I'll have more soon. Thanks, Lance Wright, Norfolk
See Lance's vintage images of Wright's Fishery & Cottage Line; Downtown OV & Willoughby
Family & friends on Cottage Line & EOV; More scenes: Cottage Line & East Ocean View;
Even more scenes --Cottage Line --East Ocean View

Sun 6/18/03 6:02 PM From: ccorbyjr@hargray.com Subject: Hey Roberta, Who is this?
Roberta, this was taken at the old Ocean View Amusement Park --Cappy & I just loved that place. Anyway, we were just out of boot camp on our ten day leave --must have been January 1961. I know most of the people mentioned in the OV Tour. Darlene & Cappy took photos that day. I remember the old gang & wonder what has happened to them all. I stayed away, so its up to you to find all my old childhood friends!
Semper Fi --Carl Corby, Beaufort, SC click==>

Hi Carl: Thanks & you can start by writing Lance, above-- he remembers you, dear! --R K

Sun 6/8/03 9:01 PM From: bythebay@anirbas.com Subject: Ocean View Tour
RK-- Just wanted to say I love your site and think you've done a great job. I have By the Bay Pet Grooming on Bayview Blvd in the old Brinn's building (5 years now). It was the original office of Joan Gifford of Gifford Realty. Attached is a picture I took of Harrison's Pier-- hope you enjoy it. My mother had Samson & Delilah beauty salon in Little Creek East shopping center. My father played in bands that appeared in places mentioned on the OV Tour. Thanks again, Julie White, Norfolk
<== click See Julie's 1960's images!

Tue 6/4/03 11:51 AM From: tom_mcdade@hotmail.com Subject: Thanks
Dear Roberta-- Great website you have. I was stationed at D&S Piers from '63 to '64, on the USS Mullinnix, now an artificial reef off NC. I remember the Navy Y's main function for many sailors, was the locker feature. Back then civilian clothes weren't allowed onboard ship. I also recall the barber shop where one could escape the clippers of Navy barbers; & of course the gym/dorm, dances & coffee/donuts on Sunday mornings. The Y's snack bar is also a vivid memory, with its chili dogs & barbecue sandwiches, and jukebox playing, "Since I Fell For You" by Lenny Welch. I had accounts at Kelly's & The Hub men's shops. I remember Anchor Naval Tailors Anchor Naval Tailors and recall the trucks lined up at D&S for morning & evening pick-up/dropoff. I'd heard of Bunny's Trade Winds but never drank there. I left Mullinnix for Supply School in Newport and on graduation, to the Fleet Anti-Air Warfare Training Center until '66. And Va Beach: Lee's Jet Lounge, Mustang Inn, & folk places: The Upstairs, Quasimodos & The Dome where I saw the Beach Boys. The Peppermint Beach Club (<==click to enlarge image left) & Top Hat were hot spots. There was a place called the Red Garter where Tommy Edwards (It's All in the Game) used to appear. Then there was an old wooden hotel called the Essex House where a sailor could get a room, and 50 would show for a party. In OV, I used to hear sailors talk of the wonders of the Purple Onion. I went to the Ebb Tide & remember the light that made white glowing white. I hear a Rightous Bros song when I think of it. Plus the Duck Inn where we drank non-3.2 beer with oysters on half shells, and waitresses never checked IDs.
Tom McDade Monroe, CT

Hello Tom: Thanks for writing. We remember the Ebb Tide too, very well. Originally it was owned by Lee Abiouness who was also part owner of the Peppermint Beach Club; further, it is the same Lee of Lee's Jet Lounge, we're told. A friend told me they saw images of the old Ebb Tide near 1st Bay in EOV at a yard sale, so I've been writing his son Al Abiouness by e-mail for two years, with no success, for an image. I'll shout if we ever get one. We also heard the Ebb Tide was later owned by George Bagoddas at one time but in recent years we didn't want to confirm, and he passed this past year. --R K PS: Please see Tom's Navy YMCA, Norfolk, Virginia

Tue 6/3/03 2:03 PM From: BKipper@BarryRobinson.org Subject: St Elmo's Pool Hall
I was given your name as a possible source of info. We were looking for anything on St Elmo's Pool Hall. A great grandfather was a Princess Anne County Police Officer named St Elmo Trower; killed in 1923; and we're wondering if the hall had anything to do with him. We heard a retired police officer owned St. Elmo's. Garland Roger's father (Garland Meredith Trower) was son of St. Elmo. Dickie Trower is second cousin to Roger. St. Elmo's brother, Wm R Trower, was Dickie's grandfather. Thanks for your wonderful site. I spent summers in EOView at my grandmother's summer home. Boy, that sand was hot --why didn't we wear shoes, knowing how hot?
Thanks, Brenda Kipper Virginia Beach

Hello Brenda: Thanks for the kind words. We recall St. Elmo's in the Granby/Brambleton area. A friend, Mike Murphy (a great pool shot) also spent time there, so he might be a better source on St. Elmo's (and also know Dickie Trower, once owner of the Back Door on Little Creek, across from Roosevelt Shp Ctr) --St. Elmo's was a place where you entered a stairway from the sidewalk, but we don't recall what was downstairs. It wasn't far from the Navy Y (3rd row down, 3rd image --click to enlarge)-- the Y was on the corner of (130) Brooke Ave & Boush from 1909-1972, with a gym, chapel, theatre, and dorms. On pool halls and such-- we also recall one next to Sam's near Granby High, and one near Broadway (off Granby just past the City Zoo). Thanks for the wonderful e-mail and great research topic! --R K

Sun 5/26/03 5:40 PM From: ethibea@blazenetme.net Subject: Ocean View
R K: It is so nice to read about Ocean View as I grew up in with my sisters Frances , Jackie and brother Robert Richardson who still live in the area. I went to Ocean View School in 1949. My class was one of the first to go to Mary Calcott. My father worked for Forman's Plumbing and mother worked for Norfolk City Schools for years. Her last school was Ocean Air School; they lived in Ocean Air Apts on Old Ocean View Rd. I left Norfolk in 1960 but still visit and really do miss the park. We'd walk Sundays thru the golf course and back again to get to the park. I remember school mates Richard Hale, Pete Hand and Marilyn Hammond. Skippy Sams father ran a plumbing business on Tidewater Dr. I started at Bayview and remember Ms. Brownly, Ms. Griffith and Ms. Bland. I also went to Granby High in the 8th grade. I'd love to hear from anyone who knew my mom, Rita Richardson.
Thanks, Evelyn Richardson Thibeault Maine

Fri 5/12/03 4:47 PM From: c.s.horn@att.net Subject: Tidewater Guru
R K: Do you remember what year it was that the Alan Shepherd Dome (Va Beach) was torn down? Please advise, and PS thanks for the monthly e-mails. Jon Los Angeles, CA

It was 1994, according to my research, when they razed the Alan B Shepard Civic Center (The Dome) and "...put up a parking lot". There was a recent Pilot article apparently proposing a plan for the property: "...convention hotel and entertainment center near 19th Street's eastern end. The area is city-owned land known as the old Dome site, and includes a parking lot and some public works buildings..." --Perhaps if you post comments on the bullboard we can get more on it-- Thanks for your kind words, they're greatly appreciated. --R K

Fri 5/9/03 10:06 PM From: dmonell@vabch.com Subject: Khedive Shriners Oyster Bowl
I enjoyed taking the Nickle Tour. I just want say regarding your report on the Khedive Oyster Bowl-- the last game in Norfolk was in 1995. The game was re-created in Hampton in 1999, using College Division III teams. This year's 5th game is in Hampton; our 54th includes: Bridgewater College (near Harrisionburg VA) against Catholic University in DC. The game is alive and well. It's always nice the public knows the game supports Shriners Hospitals for Children, particularly if parents of kids know --that we can help, free of charge.
Thanks, David Monell, PP Chairman Khedive Oyster Bowl, Norfolk, VA

Sat 4/26/03 5:55 PM From: Xsoberduckx@aol.com Subject: Finally found some of those old OV pix
Hey RK, I'll be sending different sets of pics. I'll start with The Thing Shop owned by Richard Moylan Sr. It opened for business in 1969, the picture shows the store before the name was painted;
with Kippenbrock Scale Services-- Circa 1969. .... See Richard's awesome vintage photos!
Richard J. Moylan Jr. Gloucester, VA

Fri 4/18/03 3:14 PM From: naforts@yahoo.com Subject: Seacoast Forts ==> click
What do you know about a WWII aircraft observation post on Willoughby Spit, about 1941 to 1943-44? Don't know the exact location, nor do I have any image on what it was supposed to look like. Pete Payette Fredricksburg, VA www.usaforts.com

See what Pete discovered (4th post down in his own words) -- See also, our OV Tour page created with Pete's vintage maps, along with our own research regarding Sarah Constant Shrine and images with today's Aerial Views! --R K

Tues 4/8/03 11:54 PM From: bbcoog@salisbury.net Subject: Photos
RK-- I wrote you awhile back. I was in Norfolk a couple weeks ago and found a Colonial Store glass celebrating their 50th anniversary (1951). I also found here, in my own collection, an old postcard of the Lowe Hotel (170 WOV, click thumbnail to enlarge ==>). I really miss OV --my wife is ready to move back home. Thanks again for the great website. Brian Coughenour Salisbury,NC

Brian? See also the beach view of the Lowe Hotel-- 3rd row, 2nd pix --R K

Tues 3/18/03 9:55 PM From: len_ashburn@hotmail.com Subject: You Are Amazing!
I just read your bio on your site. Lots of talented people came from Ocean View. You've rekindled so many old memories --I keep going back for more. You hit the spot of Bragg's Woods. I think 'Bragg' might refer to Gen. Braxton Bragg from Civil War days. I remember playing there but don't remember Big and Little Woods. I guess I wasn't allowed to cross Granby from Randall Ave where I was born and lived; until my father sold the little brick house and moved us to Suburban Park at Wards Corner. Later, they bought a little house at Ocean & Granby. By '51 I was off to the Air Force for 20 years & never lived in Norfolk again. I do visit often-- fewer and fewer people to visit there. I'd like to visit with you next time and share memories of our beloved Willoughby. I have a Grandaughter in Hampton. I hope to get there soon. I have stories to share --I could have had the bottom sprocket of the 'leap d'dip' but it was too heavy for me to lift --and my wife wouldn't help me lift it into the trunk. I bet it weighed 300 pounds. Nice chatting with you.
Len Ashburn Indianapolis, IN

Sat 3/01/03 3:49 AM From: agorden@mchsi.com Subject: Hello
I've been browsing your site for a few hours & I am impressed. I grew up in Norfolk but moved 10 years ago. Norfolk is still in my heart & I can't say how I miss it. We lived at the end of Willoughby Spit in a brown & yellow apartment complex. My mom (Terri Gordon) worked at the Willoughby Inn for many years. She still writes & keeps in touch with Mary Lou; kept in touch with Mildred (a cook) who passed this year. After living there we moved to Peachtree St. in a gray duplex not far from Ocean View Elementary. I walked to school --that big white school! Then we moved to Beck St, up Tidewater Dr, near Mary Calcott & Northside, on Westmont. Nearly 10 years ago-- your site has helps me remember -- the times we'd cut across the golf course (a short cut or just to be funny)! I remember the carnival yearly near that big highrise with the bird on it. I remember when the Tinee Giant across from there. I miss Norfolk. I want to drive down to see how she looks these days-- to see the one place I truly enjoyed calling home. All the pictures here help me in regaining lost memories... helping vague ones grow stronger. I truly am very thankful and will keep your site in my favorites for a long time to come!
Your new friend, Aaron Gorden Northern Minnesota

Wed 2/19/2003 3:08 AM From: MichaelSDeLoatch@aol.com Subject: Your Fabulous Web Site
Hi. I wanted to write & thank you for your outstanding website. First, why I love your site: I'm a Norfolk native who spent the first 33 years of life there; now transplanted. I often have powerful waves of nostalgia for the Norfolk of my childhood, vanishing each time I visit. I hadn't looked at your site for awhile but tonight was on the web and saw a portrait of an elephant. I thought about the elephant house at Norfolk's Zoo & our visit last summer-- we discovered the Jamestown Exposition Conservatory had vanished! The conservatory is a quintessential element of zoo memories --running down the aisles, brushing the pampas, chasing the lizards. Later, my own children would do the same. What a crappy thing the city did, presumably to make room for the very, very over-the-top africa exhibit. So, I keyed "norfolk zoo conservatory" at Yahoo & was led to your site. How nice to see the Conservatory in its pristine state, in the antique postcard you reproduced. The philistines may have taken it from the shores of the Lafayette, but they'll never remove it from the shores of my memory. The expunging of all traces of the original Lafayette Park has been a work long in progress. Regarding the Medical Tower and Norfolk General Hospital ...from the "late 1950s"-- the tower was dedicated in 1961, so you're ahead of target. Regarding the opulent Terminal interior... I believe it was located near the underpasses of I-264 just north of Harbor Park. So much of original downtown was wiped from the earth... Finally, Norfolk Academy... It looks darned good in its vintage postcard setting, with trees and houses in the background. Like Elgin marbles, it looked as if someone had airlifted a greek temple from ...Greece? & plopped it in downtown Norfolk. Well, thanks for hearing me out and thanks for your fabulous website.
--Michael DeLoatch Blue Ridge Mountains, VA

Sat Feb 15 2003 1:23 PM
From: wesley@historichamptonroads.com
Hello RK, I could use you and your site visitors' help.
I'm curious about a postcard I have =>
This card is addressed to: Miss Elizabeth Schille,
c/o Schille Players Ocean View, Va. Casino
My curiosity has gotten the best of me.
Do you or any of your visitors
have any info on this group?
It would be nice to know if they were regulars at the OV Casino;
exactly what type of troupe were they?
As always, I enjoy your site regularly.
Such a rewarding break and I always learn something.
Take Care, Wesley

Wed Jan 22 2003 1:09 AM From: titanic12us@sbcglobal.net Subject: OV/Willoughby
I resided in West Ocean View/Willoughby Spit for 5 years, and miss it-- the Thirsty Camel was part of the experience. I worked as an extra in the ABC movie, Death of Ocean View Park, was also an employee of the Hotel Nansemond. In 1979, I was in The Virginian-Pilot when the first fire tried to bring it down. I hope current residents near 236 WOV realize that they live on hallowed ground, of the Nansemond. There's also no more Pinecrest Hotel. For OV's demise, I curse the city fathers of Norfolk. More money went to Ghent, The Hague, downtown, Military Highway/Virginia Beach Blvd, Waterside & MacArthur Mall. I realize betterment is a good thing: times change, moods change, but Willoughby Spit/Ocean View needs to stay affordable for the working class of Norfolk, only safer. I've always said Willoughby and Ocean View should leave The City of Norfolk, and incorporate its own city. I'll bet I'm not alone in bitterness toward Norfolk City Hall. E-mailing you makes a homeboy want to come back FOR GOOD! Back down memory lane-- to have a beer at 19th Bay Pub, Ohara's 2003 Disco by The Sea, or to Shore Drive at The Onion, O'Sullivans, Brass Rail/The Jolly Roger. Thank you. Always proud to be from OV, and defend her no matter where I roam!
Sincerely, Ronald B. Fetty, Jr. Ormond Beach, FL

Mon Jan 6 2003 1:52 PM From: bbcoog@salisbury.net Subject: Ocean View Tour
Hi RK-- My name is Brian Coughenour
--just wanted to say thanks for the great website-- brings back many memories. I was born/raised in Norfolk; we lived outside Gate 4 [Merrimack Park/now Landing]. Mother's maiden name was Avant --they lived next to Jolly Roger in a little white house, still standing as of 6 months ago.

I used to go to Brinn's & Bayview Pharmacy for baseball cards. My uncle worked at Fire Station #15 on Fishermans; my grandparents lived on Willow Terrace. My dad (Hal Coughenour) supervised at Norfolk Naval Reworks and was close to George Demetriades (couple with George are Tommy & Joyce Childress); dad also knew Bannon Bros of Doc's Pizza --he played softball & coached the women's team, so I spent some time there. Grandfather retired (USN) and worked at OV Amusement Park, so I was there a lot too. I visit often, since I met my wife here in NC while at college-- then learned she too, was from Norfolk. We joke we had to go 300 miles... I've included photos for you of George and the old Surf Motel (2918 E,Ocean View). Keep up the good work.

Thanks for your time, Brian Salisbury, NC

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