My best memory of growing up in old Broad Ripple was the availability of White River, the dam, Billy Creek and the Monon Railroad. For two or three summers there were five of us who went everywhere together almost every day. We thought of ourselves as a gang but nothing like the gangs there are in this day and age. We never were interested in doing anything illegal unless you count slipping under the fence at Lilly's apple orchard when the apples were ripe. We usually went too soon when the apples were still green and ended up with huge stomach aches. We swam at either White River above the dam or at Billy Creek (Williams Creek), just about every day.

We knew all the engineers and firemen on the Monon Railroad by sight. It was the closest thing to the story of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn I have ever heard of. There were my older brother Howard, Bob Ridenour, Chet Blanton, Paul Hurley and I. We had great times. Of course there were also Broad Ripple Park and the swimming facility west of College on the White River (Warfleigh Beach) provided by the City of Indianapolis.