Michael Neal:  

The Chicago years... I'll start with Cornell Elementary, 7th grade, 1963: We were Black kids who learned Square Dancing to songs like "Canadian Sunset" and "White Silver Sands"... so cool and jazzy. Oh! I've got to mention that the year before... the 6th grade break at Henry O. Tanner Elementary after a tornado took the roof off of Cornell... also that we went to Hirsch High until H.O. Tanner was ready. Remember "Wimpy's" hamburgers on 75th ? Remember Grand Crossing Park, the Swimming Pool, and the Police Station on 75th? ... Remember Officer Frazier aka (Wolfman)? O'Keeffe Elementary, South Shore High, and CVS... "The Palace". All the special people in my life from those days: Naomi, Lorrain, Pat Lewis, Shirley, Deborah, Cheri, Debra Vallentine, Marsha and "Bo" (Cheryl). My "big brothers"... Eddie Epps, Everett, "Geeche" (Earl Pugh), Steve Barringer, and the rest of the fellas'... "Dank" (Darryl Irvine), Stanley, Roy, Norman, Robert, Jerry Gallimore. My partners-in-crime... Derek and Vincent. Mrs Lewis and Mrs Donnelly, (my other mothers), Of course the earlier "innocent years" on 78th and Evans... Hinkle, Joann, Horace Lewis, Maurice, Clarence, Bo (John), and the rest of the Ray family on Langley. Jewel, Diane, Geraldine, Floyd, Coco, Vandy, and the bikes, baseball, spinning tops, P.F. flyers, rock battles, fishing, climbing trees, racing, vacant lots and alleys. The Rhodes Theater (25 cartoons), Dee's corner store, "Clean-Up" week on 78th and Evans, the (Black) motorcycle club's rodeo/picnics. We truly were a "Neighborhood". We actually had a (Black) Furrier on our block !!! Dee and Darrell (family), and Debra Lewis, she schooled a young brother... i will never-ever forget her. Can't leave out Riverview !!! Cool-ass William Lemons and later on Benjamin Blackburn ( both inspired me to want to be "Fresh & Clean", although my Uncle (Tommy), whom bought me my first Cashmere Coat while i was still in High School put the icing on that cake. Goose and Marie (my Big Sister)... kept us under their wings and safe in that "Stone Thang". Cecil Critendon... who taught me to play chess and was the third member of the "Merrill Raiders", the gang that consisted of he, Vincent, and myself. Got to mention Cedrick Blanton... a insightful young brother whom along with my grandfather's influence, Claude Brown, and Iceburg S...Expand for more