1967: A Landmark Thanksgiving

New Post Office:  For 11 years, 'Grovians pulled up outside 7951 Broadway (today, Marco's Jewelry) to buy stamps and mail parcels.  Before that they spent 12 years doing the same thing at 7771 Broadway (today,  Simon's Loan & Jewelry).  

But the fix was in and in November, 1967 we got a brand new U.S. Post Office at 7938 Broadway right across from modern Marco's Jewelry and AAA Imaging.  The quarter million dollar building -- the one we use now -- boasted more postal boxes, bigger counters, more services and a spacious lobby.  

"Just in time for the holidays," said the ecstatic postmaster Frenchy Faucher, who promised a "seamless transition."

Parking is still the pits, but unlike some U.S. communities, we still have our post office and it's one of the busiest in the county.  As we move into the 2013 holidays, feel good about this, dear readers, and don't forget to thank Gail, Judy, Michael, Mike and the team for their excellent service.

New Knight:  To applause and arias from Italian operas, retired dentist Dr. V.L. Van Zele, Golden Avenue, was awarded the Croce de Cavaliere by Italian ambassador Egidio Ortona and the Golden Wings by General Federico Zapelloni in ceremonies at the Italian Embassy, Washington, DC.

Sir Van Zele's cross of knighthood honored his WW I service as a Caproni bomber pilot, one of 350 young Americans who learned to fly at Foggia, Italy during the cold, windy winter of 1917-18 when the U.S. entered the conflict.

The young pilots' leader was none other than Fiorello LaGuardia, the "little flower" who moved from captain to major to rule as the 99th mayor of New York from 1934 - 1945.  Gutsy and colorful, LaGuardia called his neophyte bombers "Fiorello's Foggiani" and imbued them with courage and daring as they took on the Kaiser's luftwaffe after only 20 hours of flying time.

Sir Van Zele also was awarded a medal at the Caproni Museum of Milan by Count Giovanni Caproni di Taliedo, son of the man who built the tri-motor Caproni bomber.  Our knight also received a medal from Dr. Vittorio Salvatore, mayor of Foggia.  In all, 64 surviving Foggiani were honored -- but only one was a knight from Lemon Grove.

Newlyweds:  They were young, smart and adorable.  The inseparable pair would go on to run The Food Factory, 7914 Broadway, for the next 40-plus years -- and they're there now serving up their fabled French toast, from-scratch hamburgers, chowder and other good eats in one of America's most iconic hometown diners.

You know them, dear readers.  Lee Lorraine "Lori" Durham, daughter of Jack and Margaret Durham -- themselves, business leaders in Lemon Grove since the 1920s --  married Robert William Bailey, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bailey, Spring Valley.

Talk about home town.  They graduated from Mt. Miguel High School and were married in the First Congregational Church of Lemon Grove, Glebe Road, the third incarnation of the first church in Lemon Grove (1897).  Today, #1 is the Parsonage Museum.

We are compelled to quote Thornton Wilder:  "We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures."

Speaking of which:

New Mural Panel:  Jack Durham is among the treasures portrayed in the Lemon Grove History Mural, now in full flower on the Pacific Street wall of Grove Pastry Shop.  Run, don't walk, and see the folks who built the town right into present time.  While you're there, hail the mural artists, Kathleen Strzelecki and Janne LaValle, who began painting the mural the year your eight-year-old children or grandchildren were born.

New Deal:  But is this one you'd want?  Humpty Dumpty, 1021 Cardiff, in Lomita Village south of Lemon Grove, offered eight hamburgers for $1.   If desperate you could feed your family of four for two days on little, flat grey burgers in buns so shot full of preservatives that nothing would live on them if they were left damp on a windowsill for a week, as Ralph Nader used to love pointing out.

"4th Fantastic Week of Smashing Values" crowed the ad as Humpty Dumpty "startles hamburger world."  Apparently, this gambit worked in 1967.  But in 1968 Humpty Dumpty faded from memory and all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put the burger stand back together again.  Probably a good thing, love free enterprise though we do.

New Poster Child:  Lisa Garzenelli, 4, Dayton Drive, was chosen to be the March of Dimes' 1968 poster child in a fundraising drive that had special urgency:  More than 1,500 San Diego County children had been born with defects like spina bifida and anencephaly.

Lisa's two siblings, ages 1 and 5, were free of birth defects and often accompanied the family on its trek every six weeks to Los Angeles Orthopedic Hospital, sponsored by the March of Dimes, where Lisa received checkups and therapy.  A successful operation on her open spine made possible walking on braces with the aid of crutches and saving her from life in a wheel chair.

Ah, the March of Dimes.  Founded in 1938 by FDR, our first and only president stricken with polio, and still rescuing children 75 years later.

New Turkey Recipe:  This knee-slapper emerged from the Review's always hilarious fillers.

     When choosing a live turkey for Thanksgiving, avoid giving chase with an axe as bloodshed could occur, but enlist the aid of an experienced turkey wrangler.  For best roasting results, cover bird with bacon and clean underwear, either boxers or shorts.

And so it went on the eve of Thanksgiving in The Big Lemon 46 years ago when home town heroes added to their civic landmark with a few of their own.

About this column:  Compiled by Helen Ofield, president of the Lemon Grove Historical Society, from newspapers archived at the H. Lee House Cultural Center.  Each week, we take a peek at the past with some news and advertising highlights from a randomly chosen edition of the Lemon Grove Review.  Ofield was awarded first place in 2013 and second place in 2012 in non-daily column writing from the Society of Professional Journalists.  In 2013 she received third place in the "History" category from the San Diego Press Club.