In the month of March 1974 Mr. MacDonald, a bricklayer, received a verbal contract from Bob Landman, owner of the Good Earth store at 6350 North Guilford Avenue, to build a brick walk on the north side of the store, in addition, lay brick on stairs going up to 2nd floor of store. Brick walk and stairs are still intact - go look!

March of 1975 MacDonald rented an upstairs room in house located 6371 Guilford Avenue from Mrs. Holly Garten, 88 years of age owner of house. MacDonald would have conversations with her concerning experiences in her life. He enjoyed the talks with her. She was born in Rushville, Indiana in 1887. Lived on a farm with her parents - used kerosene lanterns for lighting in the house. She saw her first automobile in Rushville - just after the turn of the 20th century. It was a Baker Electric (battery powered). A doctor in Rushville owned it. When a late teen, she went to work for the Indiana Traction Terminal Interurban Co. in Rushville. She was able to ride free on interurban to Indianapolis. She liked the bug city. On one trip she saw the stage show Ben Hur at the English Hotel on the northwest quadrant of Monument Circle. Being a 20-year-old woman, she was really amazed to see live horses on stage running, galloping, pulling a chariot on a treadmill. It left an indelible memory on her. She was describing the event to me 68 years later. To me that's awesome!

In 1915 she and her husband bought a Thomas Alva Edison record player - Edison invented it in 1877 - the light bulb in 1879. It was not electric - there was a crank on the side of the cabinet to wind up mechanism to turn the turntable you place the records on. The records were almost ½" thick. O wanted to listen to a record, so she asked me to crank it up. I did. She put on a record - the sound to me was quite primitive, not high quality like today, 1975.

One day when I got home from work, Holly told me a young woman dressed in slacks came to her front door. She was from Indiana Bell Telephone Company to check on Holly's phone. Holly had reported it. The young woman told Holly the problem is on the wire atop the telephone pole out back. Of course, Holly was expecting a man, and asked the woman when they will send out a man to check out wire atop pole. 88-year-old Holly was surprised when she said "I am going to do it now." Holly replied, "You're not going to climb that pole!" Yes was the answer. 88-year-old Holly was beside herself. She said isn't that a man's job - the woman went out and climbed pole. Holly watched her as she did her job. Came down and told Holy to make a phone call. Holly did - it worked. Holly just had to tell someone about the incident, so I got the story direct.

I believe Holly learned something about our modern world and women's part in it. The 88-year-old woman learned that here in Broad Ripple at the pole located at 64th Street and Cornell Avenue, women are capable of doing a man's job, both physically and mentally. Indeed the world is changing. Proof is right here in good ole Broad Ripple. Now in 2011 there is greater evidence of change in many aspects of daily like between male and female species - the human race. I wish to add Holly lived to 1987, her 100th year.

In the fall of 1975, after work I was walking from my room on Guilford Avenue over to a restaurant when McDonald's is now. It was the Inn of the Red Lion. As I walked east on Westfield from fire station 32, I approached the Broad Ripple Tavern at 924 Westfield Boulevard where the Bungalow is now located. I saw approximately 20 people, men and women, standing on the sidewalk at the front door of the BRT. I heard music and a man's singing. I looked in the plate glass window and realized why people stood out front. That place was packed with people. I asked the group "Who is that man singing?" Many responded, "Tony Bennett, of course." He was a much younger man in 1975. Then I continued my walk to the Red Lion. What I did not know that evening was the Inn of the Red Lion in 6 months would be demolished - April 1976 to be replaced my the first McDonald's building (the current building was built in 2002).

This information - I print for Alan Hague, chief editor and publisher - Broad Ripple Gazette. - Donald Wayne MacDonald