In this issue we’ll learn some history of Tyrone and follow the life of a boy to the present. We’ll do this through the memories of Milton D. Getz — better known as “Mickey.”
The only child of Margaret (Colabine) and Raymond Getz, Mickey was born on July 1, 1917 in the home of his mother’s cousin, June Updike, on Washington Ave., Tyrone. Because of the cousins’ closeness, June and her husband Milton shared their home with the Getzes. The Getzes honored Mr. Updike by naming their son Milton.
In 1918 Tyrone had an influenza epidemic. Almost every home had someone stricken, and many residents who were not strong enough died — especially the elderly and small children. It was this disease that took Mickey’s mother from him at 17 months old. Mickey and his father were ill also, but when Margaret died Raymond got out of his sick bed to go to her funeral. Raymond and Mickey both recovered without a relapse.
While Margaret was ill she and her young son stayed with her parents, Charlotte “Lottie” and Lewis Colabine, who lived at Tyrone Forge. Lottie was a homemaker and Lewis was a drayman. Lewis drove teams for Tyrone Borough and was known in the area as one of the best drivers around. After Margaret died Lottie offered to help rear her young grandson. Raymond, who knew nothing about caring for a child, agreed to let his son live in the Colabine home.
Raymond came by streetcar every night after work to see his young son. They spent time together doing many things, but the most fun was watching his father sketch. Mickey remembers his father teaching him how to draw at the kitchen table at a young age. At age 6 he did his first drawing — a train engine. This artistic talent was perhaps the most precious gift Mickey received from his father.
Raymond was a decorator painter by trade and was the best in the area. He was known throughout town for his painting of the El Patio theater and The Villa restaurant. Raymond was sought after by the wealthy and sometimes had to travel far distances to do his special painting. Mickey remembers at age 10 going with his father to Port Matilda to the Methodist church where he contracted to paint a mural of Christ on the wall behind the altar. Mickey watched his father intently as he worked on this painting; he was in awe of his father’s talent. He recalls his father saying that this painting was the best work he had ever done.
Looking back, Mickey remembers life at the “Forge” with a smile. His grandparents’ home had a constant flow of his mother’s siblings and their families. He recalls two aunts, Nettie Delozier and Mary Grazier, playing a big part in mothering him. They came with their families to visit, giving Mickey lots of playmates. Grinning, he remembers learning to swim in the quarry, playing ball, and being a normal boy.
The reason for the grin was his memory of carrying supper to his grandfather at the quarries. After Lewis retired as a drayman, he took a job as watchman at the quarry. Every workday at seven o’clock, Mickey would take him supper. When supper was over Lewis would take two cigars out of his pocket and they smoked them. Mickey was only 12 at the time, and this little secret they kept was how he got the nickname “Stogie.”
Fourth of July was a big holiday at the Colabines. Mickey recalls everyone coming for a big picnic, and in the evening they would set off fireworks. Mickey’s father and uncle always would have a huge supply of fireworks. One Fourth of July the fireworks display was different. The family was standing on the edge of the porch while lighting Roman candles and shooting them over the water of the Juniata river. The fun of this Fourth had just begun when one of the Roman candles backfired into the box of fireworks on the porch. Mickey can still see his uncle, Calhoon Colabine, grabbing his precious radio and leaping over the porch banister. Everyone scattered as they watched the fireworks shooting in all directions. The next-door neighbor ran around his store mumbling and closing his shutters to protect his windows. This was one Fourth of July Mickey will always remember, laughing as he told me the whole story.
Uncle Calhoon, who never married, was like a second father to him. Calhoon lived with his parents and worked for 40 years at the paper mill. Mickey reflects on the many times his uncle was there to guide and advise him throughout his life. Although his father visited as often as he could, he sometimes was away on jobs. With this in mind one can see how the young boy would idolize his uncle who had been with him for as long as Mickey could remember.
Mickey attended Ironville school from chart class to half way through 6th grade. The chart class was much like our kindergarten today, helping teachers to determine each student’s level of learning. Here, one attended chart class for a full year. By not starting school until age 7, Mickey was one of the oldest kids in his class.
In 1929, when Mickey was half way through 6th grade, the Colabine family moved to Tyrone and lived on Cameron Ave. Mickey finished 6th grade at Washington school on Park Ave., going on to the Junior and Senior High on Lincoln Ave. He was graduated in June 1937 as an honor student.
The Colabine family moved a few more times, but always on 10th St., and finally settled in the old Griffin home. This home was located high on a terrace overlooking the Juniata river and the railroad. Mickey recalls watching from this house the waters rise in 1936 during the flood. He and his uncle Calhoon were watching one night, when down the stream came the large tank belonging to the gas company. The tank was about 40 feet high and had stood behind The Villa restaurant. As they watched, the tank floated downstream and lodged against the Lewisburg spur railroad bridge just below town. Water in the area of 10th St. reached 8 feet high to the top of the one terrace. The Colabine family lived high enough that they did not have to evacuate, but others in the downtown area were forced to.
As a teenager Mickey read mounds of books — mostly classics. He read all of Shakespeare’s tragedies and comedies. Mickey continued to draw and paint and did mostly quiet activities in his youth. But as most young men did, he attended dances, football games, movies, and ran around with a group of boys. Because Mickey didn’t pay much attention to the girls he was labeled by his class members as the “skirt spurner.”
Mickey had hoped to go on to school, but he would need to work first to save the money. He set out job hunting; however, most places required a physical exam and he had a heart murmur. After applying for many jobs and getting turned down, he went to his father. Knowing his father never wanted his son to be a painter, Mickey still asked if he could work for him. Raymond reluctantly hired his son and the two worked together for 15 years.
With a love of music, Mickey and his friends would travel to the Sunset Ballroom in Gallitzin and to Hecla Park near State College to hear the big-band sounds. The group of young men varied from trip to trip, but consistently there were Joe Zang, Joe Panasiti, and Mickey. The two Joes played trumpets, but Mickey never took lessons or played an instrument. Once Mickey met Tom Waring, and upon their meeting Tom asked Mickey if he played the piano. Mickey replied no, and Tom said, “With those long fingers, what a waste!” Some of the big bands they saw perform were those of Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, and Bunny Berrigan. Mickey says he can still hear the theme song of Bunny Berrigan, “I Can’t Get Started With You,” playing in his head. They’d often see a band at one place and the next night would see it again at another place. Another local show place was the Triangle, in Bald Eagle, just four miles north of Tyrone.
As a young man, Mickey spent many of his evenings with Uncle Calhoon listening to radio shows. Some of their favorites were Jack Benny, George Burns, and Milton Berle. Mickey recalls that the first TV show he saw was the “Milton Berle Show.” Mickey and his uncle also went to see movies at both the Wilson and El Patio theaters. Their favorites at the movies were Westerns. Actors whom they both enjoyed were Tom Mix, Buck Jones, Spencer Tracy, Gary Cooper, and Humphrey Bogart.
In 1940, when World War II started, many things changed in Tyrone with the young men going off to war. Mickey’s draft classification was 4-F. Although he had a physical exam four times, his heart murmur kept him home. Young men not qualifying for military duty were encouraged to work for the war effort. Tyrone had three war plants owned by the John R. Wald Co. These plants were located at Rupert’s Garage, Black’s Garage, and the Wilson Chemical Plant. Mickey applied for work and was assigned to the Wilson Chemical Plant. He worked on the fourth floor in a large room with twenty older women. The women operated machines that made bomb fuses. Mickey packaged the fuses for shipment and supplied the fuse makers with raw materials. At the end of the line a government inspector would select one box out of ten, open it up, then test the fuses. If the inspector found one faulty fuse, the entire shipment had to be redone. Mickey worked at the war plant for three years. He recalls with a chuckle how the women he worked with would joke with him just to see his reaction. Mickey took the teasing in stride because he knew many of them had sons overseas in the war. He believed their joking with him brought back fond memories of their own boys so far from home.
Mickey volunteered for another war-related job — manning the watchbox at Gray Memorial Field. The main objective was to chart planes in the area and their direction of flight. The little building had a table with compass markings on it, and mounted in the center of the table was a large arrow. Whoever was working the watchbox would point the arrow in the direction of the plane’s flight and phone that information to authorities in Pittsburgh. The job was very important because it enabled the military to know if any foreign aircraft was in the air and in what direction it was heading. James Walsh and Mickey worked as partners on these watches.
After the war, friends convinced Mickey to go to school to develop his art talent. Mickey applied to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia and was accepted. He attended for two terms, learning to perfect his gift in drawing and painting. Mickey also learned anatomy from nude models with an instructor who used a long pointer. For a young man from Tyrone this was an embarrassing experience. Mickey assured me that after awhile he didn’t see them as anything but a model.
Mickey returned home to Tyrone to work with his father again. Still living with his grandmother and uncle on 10th St., Mickey was introduced to a neighborhood girl, Anna Gates. Anna lived next door with her parents. She worked in the stockroom at McCrory’s department store. The “skirt spurner” now suddenly noticed a girl — Anna. Mickey and Anna dated awhile, and in 1949 at the age of 33 he married “the girl next door.” They lived on 10th St. until construction of the Rt. 220 bypass took their home.
Years before, Anna and Mickey bought a $2000 building lot in the Sunset Hills area of Tyrone as an investment. Now the lot would become the site of their new home. Anna’s mother still lived in her home next to the Colabines, and the group got together and decided on a plan. Calhoon, Mickey, Anna, and Mrs. Gates would pool their resources and build one large home for them all. Mickey resided in this home until after his wife passed on.
Mickey decided to look for other work since decorator painting was no longer in demand and his father was thinking of retiring. Raymond took him to Penn State and introduced him to some painters he knew. Mickey applied for a job and was hired within two weeks, starting in March 1955 and working until July 1979, almost 25 years.
Mickey continued his painting and drawing throughout his life. Samples of his work are displayed throughout his room. He now resides in a one-room apartment in the personal care wing of Epworth Manor, in Tyrone.
Mickey shared many other stories of Tyrone’s history with me. I wish all of you could have seen the excitement in his eyes as he told me “his story.” As Mickey spoke of the events in his life, I felt that I had traveled to that era. Thank you Mickey!
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