as recalled by Robert B. Johnson  (Class of  January  1961)

In 1853 the Chicago and Northwestern Train line  (now the Union Pacific)  ended at the Canfield Station  (later to be become the Edison Park stop).  In 1854 the train line was extended to Park Ridge.

The community of Edison Park developed in and around the Chicago and Northwestern railroad tracks in the late 1800's.  In 1890 the community received the first electric street lamps.   I believe the community was one of the first to receive electrification,  henceforth the name Edison.  Similarly the Norwood Park community sprang up around the NW  railroad tracks.  In 1910 the Edison Park community was incorporated into Chicago.   With the growth of these communities grade schools opened, including Ebinger for Edison Park  and Norwood Park Elementary for said community.  The  Ebinger grade school open in 1926.  The school was named in honor of Christian Ebinger, Sr.  one of the first settlers to the Edison park area  (source:  Ebinger  School website) 

There was no high school in the general area.

William Howard Taft High School open its doors in September of  1939 (source Taft Alumni Association).

The area in around the site of Edison school lay largely undeveloped until the 1940's.

In fact there was a working farm on what was to become the site of Resurrection Girls High School. This farm was one of the last farms within the Chicago city limits.

The area west of Harlem to the Canfield and South of Devon to roughly to Higgins began to see development in the 1940's.  Part of this development was a result of an airplane factory at Orchard Place airfield (later to become O'Hare International Airport).   With the end of World War II the community saw explosive growth as new housing was needed to house the returning GI's.  New homes were constructed  in and area around the future site of Edison Elementary School.

There was a small 4 room school building at 6221  North Oriole.  When this school opened is unknown.  Because of the significant growth in the community the Chicago Public School system commissioned a new building for the growing neighborhood.  Construction started in 1948.

Thomas Alva Edison Elementary opened its doors to the thriving new community around 1950.  The principal may have been Dr. Fields. 

Even as the new school at 6220 N. Olcott opened its doors there was overcrowding.    1952 was the first beginnings of the "Baby Boom" generation.  New construction in the community continued adding additional families and taxing the facility. 

A new principal ,   Dr.  Ann V. Gale arrived at the school  in September 1952. 

By 1954 the school could no longer accommodate the growing student population.  I recall split shift classes in 1955 due to shortage of classroom space.  Some students attended school from  8:00 a.m. to noon  while the second shift went from noon to  4:00  P.M..

The small 4 room school on Oriole at west end of the school property remained and was referred to as the annex.  The students affectionately called it the "LITTLE SCHOOL".   It was reserved  for 1st and 2nd grades whereupon they entered the "BIG SCHOOL" for 3rd grade and beyond. 

To exacerbate the crowding problem,  the Edison Park Children's Home sent their students to Edison.  Until the late 1950's  the school was located on unincorporated property on the west side of Canfield Avenue.  Eventually the land became part of Park Ridge.    Today the children's home is gone.    Recently the property on which the home was located was sold and the home demolished.   Luxury homes have been constructed on the land.

In those years almost all students  walked to school.  There was no busing  and 2 car families were a luxury.  Few if any students were driven to school.  Some of the students North of  Higgins Avenue had a very long distance to walk  (~one mile).   The  Edison branch was located near  Ardmore and Ottawa Avenues. This school was used for lower grades whose younger students would find the long walk to the main building (or annex)   excessive.  In lieu of  walking  great distances  some students were allowed to ride their bike to school.  Some how we all managed to make it to school rain or shine,     snow and cold.   The term "snow day"  was not in our lexicon.   In all my years attending public school  ('52-'65)  I   recall  only one January day in '65 that school was canceled because foul weather. 

Construction of a new addition to Edison was needed  to accommodate the growing student population.   Construction started on an addition in 1954.  In 1956 the south addition consisting of  4 new class rooms,  library and kindergarten room opened.  The  outside configuration of the building has remained virtually unchanged ever since. 

During the 1950's and 60's students attend classes from 9:00 A.M. TO 3:15  PM.

There was a one hour lunch break from noon to 1:00  p.m.  There was no food service in the school.  Almost all students within reasonable walking distance went home for lunch.

Those students who lived far away or had working parents were allowed to bring their lunches.  One classroom was reserved as a lunchroom.

How many of you recall milk service at school?   Schools contracted with milk vendors to provide milk to students.  Remember those small glass bottles?  Milk was delivered in the morning for  students to drink during morning recess or at lunch.

October 4, 1957 was a significant day in the annals of technology  (and US education).  For it was on that day the Soviet Union launched the 'Sputnik"  satellite.  Shortly there after I noted a change in our curriculum.  We began to receive more science instruction in the school.   The upper grades would gather in the library to watch the latest rocket-satellite  launch  on the one black & white television. 

I do not remember  an 'official' dress code  but there were items of clothing that were deemed inappropriate.  Boys did not wear blue jeans or exposed tee-shirt with any kind of writing.  All boys wore shirts.  Girls either wore dresses or blouses  with skirts.  In the late 50's it was a craze for girls the have their white blouses embroidered with their initials.  Pants were not allowed to be worn be girls.   Rebellion by the students was unheard .  These were the conservative Eisenhower years. 

Teachers also appeared to observe a dress code too.  Many of the women (there were few men)  wore high heeled shoes.  Once again the female teachers did not wear pants.

Classroom violence was non-existent.  There may have been a few insignificant squabbles but I don't remember any.  No one thought of bringing a gun to school,  but knives were another story.  The knives were not used for threats or fighting,  but in games in the school play yard.   Boys may have brought their knives with cub/boy scout insignia's on the handle.  It was all so innocent.  Does any one remember the game  Mumbly Peg,  played with pocket knives?   How times have changed!

December 1, 1958 was another sad day in the history of Chicago and Chicago education.  That day saw 92 chidren and 3 nuns die in the tragic Our  Lady of Angels School fire.  Soon afterward I seem to  recall special emphasis on fire drills at  the school.  A new fire alarm pull box was installed in front of the school.  In  addition to the fire drills we always had periodic air raid drills.  The 50's was the onset of the 'Cold-War' and the cloud of nuclear annihilation hung over our heads.   I believe there was even a fallout shelter in the basement of the school.

Primary subjects included, reading, grammar, handwriting spelling, arithmetic,  science, social studies.  Additional subjects included  music, art  and library.  Upon reaching 7th grade courses in home mechanics were added. All students in seventh grade learned  basic sewing and cooking skills.  Additionally,  students learned how to iron clothes.  The 8th grade boys learned plumbing, electrical and carpentry skills.   The girls continued one with more advanced sewing and cooking classes.

There were gym classes  too.  Upon reaching the 6th grade one day of the week was reserved for 'recreational gym' that included dance lessons.  Gym teacher Mr. Helfrick taught the students polka, fox trot, waltz and square dancing.  But that was about to change.  By the late 50's rock 'n' roll became the dance music choice of the students.  Students would observe the latest dances  on the  American Bandstand television  program and bring them to school.  Mr. Helfrick was able to reluctantly incorporate  this music into the school dance program.  The twist dance craze  of 1960 created some trying times.

As for extracurricular program there were none that I know.   There were no math or chess clubs as common to today.   There were no school athletic teams either.  In the winter months the gym was open on Friday evenings for dance parties.   The activity was known as "Social Center".  The boys would sit on one side while the girls sat on the opposite side.  It was now time for the students to get their fill of that "evil" rock 'n' roll music.  Looking back at the music it was all so innocent. The girls would bring in the latest 45's rpm. records to be played by DJ.   Generally the girls would be dancing to the latest  rock 'n' roll dances;  The Fly,  the Pony, the BOP.  Boys would sit quietly and observe  as they did not know the latest moves  or were to shy to ask a girl for a "Fast" dance.  When a "Slow-Dance" was played the boys would ask a girl to the dance floor.  Dance fads such as the Twist or The Stroll would bring the students to their feet.  I don't recall when the "Social Center" activity was abandoned.

I believe sometime in the late 50's the school instituted departmentalized teaching for the  upper grades.  Students would switch  classrooms to go to those teachers who had a specific expertise.  Mrs.  Hirshberg  taught music and math to 8th grade students.  Mrs. Polka taught English  while Mrs. Halbasch taught science.

Through the late 50's and on into the 60's the student population continue to grow, though there  was no expansion  of the building.  I believe the student population peaked at over 600 by the  60's.  Classroom sizes of over 40 students were not unusual.

Still, teachers were able to have decorum in the classroom.    Even with these large classes instruction did not appear to suffer. Edison and surrounding grade schools were some of the best in the Chicago Public School system.  This can be reflected in the student population of William Howard Taft High School.  From the 40's and on into the 70's was one of the best high school in the city.  Dropout rates at Taft were almost non-existent and many students went on to college.  By 1961 I had moved on to education  at Taft.

Principal Gale left the school  in 1961.  She went on to bigger and better things in the Chicago Public Schools system.   She eventually became principal of Roald Amundesen High School,  Chicago.   She was an educator of some renowned.

The new principal, James Iorio, arrived in the fall of 1961.

Up until the 1960's students whose birth date occurred around February were allowed to enter school mid-term.  Classes  were split into semesters, not by year.  To balance out class sizes dual classes generally consisted of two semesters.  Brighter students of a lower semester  tended to be paired the with slower students from the semester ahead.  Exceptional students often skipped semesters.   But that was about to change. 

In the late '50's or early 60's  the Chicago Public School systems decreed there would be no more semesters but classes would be on the year.  I believe this was to make graduations compatible with colleges whose programs were on a yearly cycle.  I don't recall the exact  procedures  but all mid-term students had to get on a year cycle. This necessitated the those  mid-term student's education  to be accelerated.    Four semester of two years were somehow compacted into 3 semesters effectively promoting the students to one semester ahead  and on to a yearly schedule.  I believe the very last mid-term graduation class from Edison was January 1963.  All graduation classes thereafter were on yearly basis.

The 1970's  and 80's saw the gentrification of the community. The parents remained only to have the children who attend Edison move out to the suburbs or out of state.

The "Little School" along Oriole  ( 6221 N. Oriole) is now a long lost memory, demolished in 1977 (?).

I remained in the community to note the deterioration of the school. I would return to the school to perform my civic duty voting in elections   Voting booths were  (and are still)  held in the school gymnasium.   Residents took pride  in their community and the school.   Residents and parents wanted  the school repaired.  I seem to recall reading in the community newspaper an effort of local activists to paint the school only to have obstacles placed before them.

As the janitors/maintenance engineers for the school system were unionized they objected to nonunion personnel providing much needed renovation -restoration of the building.  I don't recall  what became of this issue.

Finally, by the  early 1980's the school population had dwindled to a point where I believe it was no longer justified to keep the school opened.  With efforts to improve education opportunities a magnet school for gifted students was proposed by the Chicago Board of Education.  Edison was reopened as the Edison Regional Gifted  Center around 1983.

Physical improvements to the facility included new windows.  (I don't now if the school is now air conditioned  but I suspect it is). Those attending in the 60's  might recall the open windows and not being able to hear teachers with jet airplane traffic from the new O'Hare airport.   New hall and classroom lighting was installed.   The old-style globe chandeliers were removed. 

In 1991 I returned to my alma mater to present a lecture on my career whose foundation was laid at Edison. On first entering the school I observed how small everything seemed.   Of course back in the 50's as a child every thing appeared larger. 

I observed  subtle  changes in the operation of the school as well.  Students  were now bussed in from around the Chicagoland area.    As children arrived they were allowed entry in the building for preparation of their day.  A handicap ramp was added to the entrance to the school.

Long gone were the days when the students would play in the school yard,  line up into their classes  for entry  at  8:55 a.m.   Food service was now provided. I noted the food storage lockers in one of the class rooms.  I learned that student population was under 300, less than one half  during  the "Baby Boom" era.  Background music was played in the hallways.   A new generation of students was being provided a quality education. Today, the school is one of the finest in Chicago if not the state,  but it also has a previous history of providing quality education to the children of the Edison park community.

 I guess not much has changed.

The follow our my personal reminisces about my days at Edison and living in the neighborhood from 1954-83.  It almost a half a century since I began attending classes at Edison so my recollections my be some what blurred by father-time.  Readers, classmates are welcome to  share with me there reflections about the school. 

Special thanks to Anne Lunde who provided information on Edison Park community history.