Jackson Park – 1953

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• Richard M., you are correct. It's been 40 years since I lived in Windsor, and obviously my memory is a little clouded. The cenotaph was right at the corner of Giles and Ouelette, on the east side.

• I went to Kennedy 54-59. There are some things you may not know. On Tecumseh, just east of Goyeau is a long low bldg that is H-shaped and was the Air Force Club. It was one of the WW2 barracks from the air port. The rest of the block was empty. When it was sold, they moved onto Marentette into what is now RCL 143.
  What I don't see here is the Boer War Memorial that now sits in the Sunken Gardens. It sat on Ouellette Ave south of Tecumseh with a turn around in front. I have pictures of it there.
  I think this picture is earlier than 53. I have no recollection of houses on Ouellette behind Mario's. That was park in the 50s. And there were houses all along McDougall in the 50s, no empty lots. Fireman's Field day was Labour Day weekend and the following week. We could sometimes talk the ride operators into giving us rides at lunch. Aug 1 wknd was the Emancipation parade and BBQ in the park. The ribs were memorable. The grandstand burned around 55-56 because we used to sit in there out of the weather and smoke. No we didn't burn it. The Colonial House was where some of the KCI staff had a liquid lunch and some of the sr boys who would have been 19 would be in there with the teacher. Hmm. We all knew. I'm sure the principal didn't. lol Good times

• Sorry, plus there were no blvds on Tecumseh when I attended KCI. That's one main reason I think this picture is earlier than 53.

• Also, in the mid-50s, there was apond in the centre of the Sunken Gardens, still is today, I think. Haven't been there in a bit. I don't see it in this picture.

• If nineteen year old Kennedy students where drinking in the same bar with teachers, I wish we had teachers who tuenwd a blind eye to under age drinking.
  In the fifties the age to legaly drinkk and vote was Twenty One, not 19. The Province experimented with eighteen year old legal drinking but put it up to nineteen, probably in the seventies.Not clear exactly when the ages changed but it was into sities, I know becaues I was over twenty one when it changed.

• Yes, the boys drinking were underage. Didn't seem to matter to that teacher. Actually he was a darn good teacher, and I say that in all honesty, because I was his pet. lol. And it was only one or two. These guys were there for a 6th year trying to upgrade marks to get into university. They all did. And ironically became teachers. As did a very large percentage of my graduating class. The KCI teachers were outstanding and motivated a large bunch to be teachers, A number of students went on to be principals and a few were superintendents.

• There's a great story about Jackson Park and when Queen Elizabeth visited Windsor in the early 50s. A railroad spur was constructed into the park, just for her and the entourage. She arrived at night and in the morning stepped out of the special car, gazed up Oullette Avenue and marveled audibly at what a beautiful city Windsor was. Of course, she was looking at the Detroit skyline. I wonder if anybody corrected her.
  Marios was the only place in Windsor to get that newfangled 'pizza' - I remember my older brother bringing some home after a dance at Walkerville Collegiate in the late 40s.

• I well remember the Tecumseh Ouellette corner. Marios Pizza (as opposed to Mario's downtown which was where Bentley's was until recently - a fin restaurant). I remember after Friday night games and Stardust Dances at KCI Mario's pizza would be mobbed. Iron control reigned under "Mary" the manager and aided by hired off duty police ( Dave Montague deceased 2009 for one). We all parked "dad's car" on the Ouellette Avenue extension and traffic circle and the cops made regular patrols to make sure no-on was "making out" or drinking... Next door the hotel was the Colonial often referred to by local elders as the "Bucket of Blood".

  Yes there were boulevards on Tecumseh Rd and at least west of Ouellette they existed until I believe 1957. Miss Thompson , the sister of Gordie Thompson, the owner of Thompson Hardware used to drive a horse and buggy to work and let the horse graze tethered on the boulevard in the late 40's and early 50,s. The Thopmsons lived near us in the 1200 block of Dougall>

  As far as the Cenotaph was concerned it was originally located on Giles Boulevard at Ouellette Avenue and then later moved to its present location in front of city hall in the 1960's.. The "cenotaph" referred to above was in fact the Boer War Memorial which was located at the south end of the Ouellette turning circle. When Ouelltte Avenue was extended the circle disappeared and the memorial was moved to the southern edge of the sunken gardens where it remains till this day ( it originally had been on Oellette Avenue where the present day main Post Office is now located I believe)