This is the time of year when many look back over the past year. Time to reminisce over the happenings, the activities, the friendships. It is not my habit to join in, but this year I will. I came across some old photos, a chance to go back, way back, nearly seventy years.
A photo showing part of my desk from my college days in the mid-1950s. Notice at the right top the typewriter. Totally manual, of course. Next there is my old ink pen. That was the way to write! In front of the pen my slide rule. This is the pocket version of the Pickett “LOG LOG SPEED RULE” that helped me through the electrical engineering curriculum. One of my textbooks. Can’t tell what course. Note that it is in a protective cover. It was important to keep books pristine to get a good price for them at the end of the semester.
On the left is my Sherwood amplifier with my Sherwood FM tuner on top. Vacuum tubes inside! Look closely and you see it set to 102 – That was WDOK in Cleveland, the city’s classical music station. I spent many hours in their studios.
Most prominently the cup of coffee. To this day the mainstay of students everywhere.
My hobby, then and now, is photography. Performers, actors, musicians, always have been favorite subjects. This photo is from the practice stage at a nearby college. I have forgotten the name of the dancer.
Like the photo above, this still life shows my interest in the abstract form and the stark use of light.
Not all mu photography was in black-and-white. I used Kodachrome and Ektachrome when I could afford it. This photo of the Republic Steel plant shows steel ingots being brought over from the blast furnaces to the rolling mill buildings. Yes, steam locomotives were still in use. I worked for a time on the strip mill making sheet steel. The photo was digitized years ago. I don’t recall if the slide had deteriorated that much or if it is just poorly scanned and processed. I need to see if this, and other slides, can still result in good conversions.
Thank you for joining me in my trip back into history.
.:. © 2022 Ludwig Keck
This 'n That 
Do they even use slide rules anymore? Would you have ever guessed at the time that everything in that photo would be obsolete? Photographer not included.
Thank you, lifelessons. Things certainly have changed. I do recall that on my first day at Case they told us that everything would change and that the technical details of what they teach would be obsolete within a few years. The emphasis was on how to keep learning and the basic principles. I still have my slide rules – haven’t used them in years. I doubt that anyone still depends on such tools. It has been interesting.
I have so many dictionaries in so many languages. I haven’t used them in 10 years but I am superstitious about getting rid of thim. What if?……
So beautiful…👏👏👏
1955? I was 4, so the things in the top picture are familiar to me. Seeing them here has made me sooo happy! The pen! Wow. We had to use cartridge ink pens when I was learning how to write. I was ham-handed with them – messy! – so very relieved when “Bic” pens were allowed. Is that one a cartridge? Or a dip? And Sherwood! Good equipment! Your photo has that very special feel to it, like analogue sound…LPs. And Oh, yes! Book protectors! LOL I made mine from folded paper bags in high school. The world’s certainly changed but memory’s treasures haven’t.
Your dancer is wonderful. Is she doing sign language? The gesture reminds me of it.
The plant looks like it’s dancing!
Wow – love the steel mill, the train, all the activity.
Slides can get weird over time can’t they? Tbh, I like the colors in this. They hint at age…oxidation…rust? It’s intriguing.
Finally, the detail you have is AMAZING. The last camera I had that even came close to the level of clear detail croaked long ago. Thank you for sharing these!
(Sorry for this long comment, got carried away!)
🎉Happy New Year!🎉
Thank you, Robin. Yes, 1955, long, long ago. The pen was plunger-fill. Take of endcap, turn
knob to bring plunger all the way down, dip, turn the other way to fill. It was still mono time.
Stereo had just been introduced. The Cleveland Orchestra had a special demo concert. Huge
speakers were set up to either side. The orchestra played, then suddenly all the musicians put their instruments down – the music kept playing. It had been recorded earlier that day – in stereo! I was there. I don’t recall what the dancer was doing, but I liked the pose and had her hold it. Thank you so much for your thoughts.