Broomfield Colorado Hometown USA

Posted on April 8, 2010
Filed Under danielmcvicarblog | 1 Comment

I grew up in Broomfield Colorado, and just found the most beautiful documentary at Archive.org.

Here are the comments that I left on archive.org:

PRODUCT OF A PLANNED COMMUNITY

This was amazing to see and to find.  I was raised in Broomfield.  I was 5 years old when my family moved there, and started attending Kohl Elementary School, and later attended Nativity School.

Now looking back I see that I am a product of a planned community.  The documentary brought back early memories, and I must say that growing up in Broomfield at that time was a special experience.  Front doors unlocked, parks to play in, the city within the highways was open and safe.  The ideals that were expressed in the documentary are some of the best things that I carry with me now.

I have now moved around the world a lot, seen many things, filled my head with ideas and information that was only available at the time from Mamie Doud Eisenhower Public Library, right next to the Dentist Office and the Broomfield Star Builder Newspaper office.

It was a town where we had “The Bank”, “The Grocery Store”, “The Drug Store”.  The city fathers put gas stations at the entrance to the town, so we could get our car filled coming and going.

Mostly it was a place to grow a family, and as our large family grew we had a safe place to go all over town.  The bowling alley was considered dangerous.  They had pinball machines.

My parents are still in the house that I grew up in, and looking at this documentary I see them searching for a place to raise a family, choosing Broomfield, and moving us there. I see my mother and father in these images, with the clothes of the era, and the hope and ideals that were from a time that Eisenhower passed the Presidency to Kennedy, and a torch was passed to that generation.

Looking at this did not make me want to return to the past.  That is never possible.  It was also a past where in first grade the whole town had regular drills with air raid alarms that “warned us” of a nuclear attack, and we were instructed to duck under our desks at Kohl School and cover ourselves from broken glass.  Of course, our skin would have melted, but we were prepared.

No, we can’t return to the past.  I am cautious about that idea.  That was then.

Now we can plan our own communities, in whatever manner we are able to arrange them.  Hopefully with tolerance and open hearts.

This documentary makes me appreciate the gift that I had to be raised with an ideal, albeit naive, that I can carry with me now.

Comments

One Response to “Broomfield Colorado Hometown USA”

  1. Dan Collopy on October 11th, 2011 6:17 am

    Dan:

    I have been meaning to write to you for some time–first on the tragic loss of your son, Hank, and then on the death of your father. I was able to speak to your mom last week, and she continues to be a remarkable lady–an incredible combination of love and resiliancy.

    Your father’s death was tough–but a continuation of his fight with his crippling disease would have been tougher. One of the great things about your dad was that he always lived life to the fullest and was never a mere observer. He was an amazing man.

    But I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I was to hear about Hank. From all that I can tell, he truly was your son (albeit slightly more focused on scholarship). I read the Columbia piece and it brought me back 40 years (except for the red hair). There is no telling was Hank could have accomplished if given even a little more time. But what a full and generous life he did lead–passionate about everything he did and playful in his encounters with everyone he met and knew. Reminds me of his father.

    As the father of three sons (Patrick (24), Jim (22) and Brian (19)) and a daughter (Margaret (14)), I can’t begin to imagine how hard it must be for you, Darling, and Maisy, to deal with the loss of Hank. Even Fr., now Mr., Ralph Taylor would have a hard time explaining the loss of such a generous and caring young man.

    You, and all of your family, will be in our prayers–

    Dan

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