If you ask any adult about their favorite childhood memory, chances are a smile will come to their face, a faraway look to their eye, and they’ll enjoy a moment of quiet reflection. Then something will come to mind – a place, a person, a day that shaped their life. As they tell their story, the worries of today minimize, and they are transported to a happy time, a time that still exists inside the heart. Some memories remind us of a happy family time, such as Carrie Click’s warm reflection on her family vacations and Doug Martin’s summer fishing trips with his Grandfather. Others indirectly lead us to where we are today, such as Bobby Rich’s early experiences with radio and Frank Busch’s youthful risk-taking. Still others honor a loved one and all they’ve meant to our lives, as Kristi Tedesco and Guy Atchley share. Childhood is such a fleeting but wonderful time. With summer reaching out its welcome, why not take a look at your family calendar and set aside some time to celebrate your family. Plan an outing, take a vacation, or simply spend the day together. Remember that it’s not the dollars you spend, or distance you travel, but the time spent together that will matter the most. Begin making memories that the next generation will savor in years to come. Here are a few favorite childhood memories from some of Tucson’s well-known personalities for inspiration. |
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My summers growing up always included hiking with my best friend Warren. There was a mountain right on the outskirts of my tiny hometown in Eastern Washington. Well, when I was 10 it seemed like a mountain, but it was actually named “Beasley Hill.” At first Warren and I would hike to a small stream. The big thrill there was finding pollywogs. We’d put some in our canteen and bring them home to see if we could raise them to be frogs. But they would always croak after a few days. When we got strong enough to climb we made it up “Beasley” to the transmitter and tower for the local radio station. I was surprised to see that the broadcast actually originated from the ramshackle brick building at the base of the giant antenna. After pressing our noses against the window—and frightening the disc jockey that usually only saw tumbleweeds and bunnies outside—we were invited inside. That’s when I was bitten. Not by the roaches and ants crawling all over the place - bitten by the radio bug. I was 12 and I spent every Saturday up there for the next 3 summers. When I was 14 they gave me my first job doing a High School News report. By that time the studios had located to Main Street, so my hikes up the hill were replaced with a bike ride on flat pavement. Warren was so sad his family moved him to Medford, Oregon.
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 Caitlin
LoweThree-time All-American center field for the University of Arizona softball team. Member of the U.S.Women’s National Softball team, 2008 Olympic hopeful “My family never took summer vacations; we were always so busy playing softball throughout the year. Even so – playing softball brought us together and made for many warm memories and lessons about life and one another. “Over the last 15 years, I have played on teams with my older sister, Whitney, and younger sister Paige, who now plays for Oregon State. I remember many long trips with the family packed into my dad’s SUV. My entire family has always been supportive of one another, and I can’t imagine how many games my younger sister McKenna and brother Tanner watched and came to support me. My grandparents showed up at all my games, and I could always count on one of their homemade sandwiches to appease my appetite after each game. My parents still make the trip from California to see me play almost every weekend. “Though there is more to life than sports, its role in my life, the opportunities I have been given, and the way it brings families together, have been a major positive influence.” |
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 Jim
ClickPresident, Jim Click Automotive Team Not far from where I grew up, in Altus, Oklahoma, there is a beautiful lake…a lake that every summer became a second home to our family. Two or three times a week, mom, dad (Boompa), my two sisters, my brother and I would all head out for a full day - and I mean a FULL day! We'd water ski for hours and hours…only stopping for breakfast, lunch, dinner and darkness. In fact, we spent so much time there that Boompa even built a ski jump. And on his 50th birthday, he jumped over it 50 times! It was a wonderful time and a wonderful place. Click here for more fond memories from the Click family!
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My sisters, our friends and I would spend countless hours cheating on video games together. We’d take turns squatting down on the Nintendo Power Pad, pounding our fists on the buttons that were meant for your feet, making our “World Class Track Meet” characters onscreen run, jump and hurdle with superhuman speed, height and distance. We’d treat it as a workout, wearing headbands and drinking water and Gatorade, working together intently for a common, pointless effort. Those were the days." |
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Aunt Nellie. I love that name and all it means to me. A gentle soul with a knowing smile and a cackle for a laugh. She called me “Hun” and “Darlin’” and said, “I luv yew” so convincingly. One of my earliest memories of this woman who lived one block down the street came on New Year’s Eve. For some strange reason at the stroke of midnight my mother would stand on the edge of our porch waving a flashlight, and Aunt Nellie would stand at the corner of her yard ringing a cow bell. These sisters would be yelling “poth.” I had no idea what that meant. I felt better some years later when I learned they didn’t know either. It was just something they said when they celebrated. “Nellie and my mom, Irene, grew up on Third Street. They both married men who lived on Second Street, and that’s where they all settled for the rest of their lives. When I learned that Aunt Nellie at the age of 81 had passed away, the tears rolled down my cheeks. I felt profound loss and undying gratitude for what she had given me. Sometimes it takes awhile for us to realize what we have in our lives. I finally began waking up in my 40’s. It was then I discovered the treasure of Aunt Nellie. “Anytime I went back to Oklahoma I was drawn to her backyard. Just to be around her was to feel at peace—especially in her garden, surrounded by roses and robins and bluebirds. Aunt Nellie opened my eyes to the beauty of nature and the truth of the old saying “Happiness is to be found only in your own backyard.” To this day I trace my love of birds and flowers back to her garden. She helped me see the miraculous in the ordinary. But the most beautiful thing in Aunt Nellie’s garden was Aunt Nellie. “Aunt Nellie taught us to live simply, feel deeply, and give freely. She warmed out hearts, brightened our days, and inspired us just to be kind to one another. She loved good gospel music, a hot cup of coffee, and pictures of old barns. She lived a simple life and a noble one. She never preached a sermon. She didn’t have to. Her life was one. This was my Aunt Nellie.”
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“My best childhood memory, that’s a tough one - I had so much fun as a child it’s hard to pick just one. One that stands out would be the memory of building my first go cart with my buddies in Northern Kentucky. We had pulled together anything we could find that might work for a go cart, 2” x 4”s, a steel pipe for the solid axle, a few ropes tied to the front wheels for steering, and a motor once belonging to an old cement finisher from my dad’s construction business. “My friends and I would speed through the neighborhood in this contraption we called a go cart. There were many memories of afternoons spent cruising through the neighborhood streets. Looking back it probably wasn’t the safest activity, especially since the only way we had to stop was to bail out on a neighbor’s yard, but that go cart gave me the first sense of freedom. “As an adult, I have carried that sense of freedom into my everyday life as well as my coaching career. My openness to try new and different techniques helps me in my field. In this profession, one of the most important tools for a coach is to have an open mind and to adapt things to the athlete you are working with. Often times those unconventional techniques makes the different to better your athletes and your own coaching. My childhood experiences, like this one, let me develop this unique characteristic that has allowed me to be a successful in my career.”
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Our family is from Minnesota. Every summer we would go to my Grandparents cabin at Lake Peterson on the Mississippi River. My grandfather was a great outdoorsman and seemed to know everything about fishing, hunting, hiking, berry picking you name it. For the best fishing, we would start in the wee hours of the morning. I would hear my grandfather loudly complain about how the water skiers were ruining the fishing with their noisy engines and leaving oil slicks on the pristine lake. We would fish with cane poles and it seemed that as soon as we would take a fish off the hook and bait it with another worm and toss the hook in the lake that there would be another fish on the hook. Sun fish, perch, bass, walleye and the grand daddy of them all great northern pike were plentiful. My grandmother would ring the giant bell (it seemed as large as the liberty bell) on our lawn and we would all come in for lunch, which was usually a fish fry with all the trimmings. These are great memories for me… the wonderful times we had at the lake.
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“My family and I every year would travel to Maui, Hawaii for Easter break. I have so many wonderful memories of walking on the beach, snorkeling in the crystal waters and eating fresh opaka paka at our favorite restaurant, Longhis. “In 1990 on our trip to Maui my mom and I decided to get in shape and take step classes every morning at 6 am. Our second day on vacation and my mom and got up early and headed down to the Hyatt Regency Gym. The music started and we were jumping from one side of the step to the next having a great time when all of a sudden I heard this thump and a scream. My poor mom tripped and broke her ankle. Being the good sport that she is, my mom decided it wouldn’t let her ruin her trip so she told my Dad and I to put her by the pool so she could sip on some pina coladas while we went surfing. “Well my Dad and I were just learning how to surf and we were having a hard time catching a wave. My Dad being “Mr. Motivational” and “Never Give Up” we stayed out there until we stood up. In the mean time, we had forgotten we had left my mom by the pool. By the time we got back to the hotel she was laying on the beach chair burnt and very upset. Needless to say it was the last time we left my mom alone.” Click here for more fond memories from the Click family!
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“It was Easter Sunday and I was three years old. I was dressed in a shirt and tie, jacket, knickers and cap, ready for church. While my parents loaded my brother and grandparents in the car, I wandered off. “After calling for me and checking out the house without finding me, my father looked over at our neighbor’s backyard. He saw my cap floating on the water of their fish pond. “Father rushed over, reached down and pulled me out. I remember being so happy that I didn’t get punished for ruining my new clothes. I’m sure it was because everyone was relieved that I was alive. “That was my first experience with the miracles of God.”
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“My 8th birthday was one of the most cherished days of my life! My mom treated me to a day that I absolutely loved. During the morning, we went to the movies to see a comedy. At lunchtime, mom and I ate wonton soup and very tasty iced drinks. The afternoon of my birthday was the best of all! My mom took me to the Park where I rode the most beautiful carousel horse and then rode in my favorite ride… the teacup. My mom made my 8th birthday a day I will never forget! I loved and cherish that day!”
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“I
grew up on a farm/airport in the middle of Nebraska. My father was
a farmer and crop duster so it was only during the latter part of the
summer that we could take a vacation, which was usually to Spirit Lake,
Iowa. We always flew in our Cessna 170 and stayed at an old lodge on
the lake. “First Dad would say, “I think you have a nibble”. Then Mother would say, “I think you have a bite”, followed by my brother saying, “I can see your fish!” I replied, “No I don’t” for fear of smudging my polish. Our joke ever since has been that I caught more fish than anyone else, which I did! I think the fish were attracted to the smell of the polish. “Being together as a family in a rather isolated place seemed boring at the time, but my brother and I often talk about the happy memories we have to this day.” |
“I had just graduated 8th grade from Amphi Middle School and my grandmother wanted to celebrate with a trip to Spain and Portugal. It was just the two of us, for 10-days that summer, and we had the best time. We splashed around in the Mediterranean Sea, went shopping for Lladros and made several new friends on the tour. At the age of 13, I thought the coolest thing was visiting a McDonald’s overseas. For some reason I thought the food would taste different. Now I know the whole purpose of that trip was to open my eyes to much more. “All my life my grandmother has pushed me to see more and to have a career of which one day I can look back on and be proud. She’s always been a forward thinking woman, unafraid to step outside her comfort zone, so she thought it was wonderful when I got into broadcast journalism. All these years later, at the age of 91, my grandmother is still with me, showing me the world and encouraging my work. One day I hope to do the same for my grandchildren.”
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A couple of days ago, I bought my umpteenth box of Girl Scout cookies on the way into the grocery store. Sure, I buy them because they're good, but I also know what a difference a simple box of cookies can make in a girl's life. When I joined the Girl Scouts I was in 6th grade, and had already been to five different schools. The students at each school, when not completely ignoring me, came up with creative names to call me, like "Hippo" and "Bigfoot". Facing yet another new school in 6th grade, I braced myself for an onslaught of name-calling. But something was different this time. I had joined the Girl Scouts, and found myself in a group without judgment, united to better ourselves and have a great time doing it. Their friendship spilled over into school, and continues many years later. With our cookie money we went on a two week camping trip, stopping at incredible sights like the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone. So, yes, I buy cookies whenever I can, and always hope that familiar green box of Thin Mints is making another little girl's life better. |
Being a native Tucsonan, my grandparents owned a cabin at Parker Canyon Lake, south of Sonoita. Many summers, I would spend my days hiking through ‘the mountains’ (as a child, they seemed quite massive) -- and one time I even traveled on foot to the lake quite a few miles away! I spent my days at the cabin learning to hunt and fish with my grandfather. I spent hours upon hours applying five-cent return stamps to cans of soda-pop at the general store. And I fondly recall that as a teenager, I was devestated when my grandfather left for the lake without me, when I just had to finish my makeup before we left! Although difficult to select just one memory that stands out as the best, I will never forget the books that my grandmother had tucked away in the upper loft of the cabin where we slept. Night after night I would sneak under the covers with a flashlight reading old Perry Mason, Nancy Drew and condensed Readers Digest novels (yes, they wrote books back then, too!). Although both my grandparents are gone now, this experience shaped my life forever with a love of books, and newspapers ... and anything I can read. To this very day I think of my grandparents and all my favorite ‘summer cabin’ memories, every evening when I read (without the flashlight now), but just before I go to bed. |
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"My warmest childhood memories will always involve my brother, Brian, my best friend! We played every sport together and he truly taught me how to compete in school, sports, and life. Most of the time, I was the only girl selected to play in the "boys sports." We always played neighborhood games of some sort--softball, basketball, track, volleyball, tennis. The best memory for me was when my older brother put his arm around my shoulder and said, "Great game, Barb!" Along with my husband, my brother Brian is my favorite golf partner today. And yes, his warm gesture and declaration of "Great game, Barb" continues to be my best memory of all!"
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Bobby
Rich
Guy
Atchley
Doug
Martin
Carrie
Click
Bob
Walkup
Beth
Walkup
Kristi
Tedesco
Adrienne
Walke
Jacqueline
McAbee
Barbara
McFadden