Childhood in Philly Row House

St Vincent Street, in Northeast Philadelphia

I grew up on St Vincent Street in Northeast Philadelphia. Our home was built in 1950 after the war, like many others secured on the GI Bill. I had a very happy, loving childhood. It was all about love, not money.  I knew we could not afford very much, but everyone was in the same boat and I felt no differences as a child.

My parents moved in when my older sister was two years old and my mom remains the original owner of this row house. I grew up with freedom to roam all over the neighborhood unsupervised walking to all my friends homes and I was constantly out until dinner.

My mother’s twin sister lived on the same block with her three children who were sisters and brothers to me. My father and my uncle were boyfriends from the teen age years.

My mother’s older sister lived across the street with her two daughters and my uncle.

Cousins abound.

All doors were open on the block and welcoming for me to enter. I called everyone Aunt and Uncle, so I did not know so many of them were friends of my parents not blood relations. There were always adults looking out for you.

There were thousands of row houses. I am a baby boomer at the height of crowded classrooms. I always walked to the local public schools. I loved school. It offered me more freedom with after school activities providing me with ways to play games and be with kids in the school yard. I got to hear music live and see shows in the school.

I attended Solis Cohen elementary school and skipped half of 3rd grade because of over crowded conditions. I attended Woodrow Wilson Jr. High School and graduated Northeast High School (with 1300 students ) in 1970 with honors, as a cheerleader and a school officer, and loved all it had to offer.

 I received a scholarship to Temple University, but I dreamed of going away to college. I was told we could not afford it, so I took Temple’s offer.

Once I started college, I was desperate to find a way to leave home and was determined to figure out how to support myself and do it.

And I DID!!