Archive for the ‘Pensacola’ Category
Hoffman Dance Group …
These images are from a dance group that my father used to photograph out at the auditorium at Pensacola Naval Air Station. He photographed this group for many years and I remember going out there with him when I was seven or eight. I remember walking up and down the halls looking at all of the military photographs on the walls. Nothing in particular other than how large and deserted the place was when I was out there. I ran across these negatives recently and they were in fairly good shape and did not look like they would take me too long to get them ready to post. There were quite a few negatives in the envelope, so I just randomly found six to clean-up and post. I am not going to make any comments about any of them, so here it goes …
The negative envelope said ” 1956 ” on it, but I am not sure about that date. If it was 1956, I would have only been three and this would have been too young for me to have gone. However, this was something that he could have photographed for many years and I did not go until later. I do remember this fairly well and I am pretty sure that I went with him for several years a kid. I would imagine that these children’s fathers were in the military or they worked out at the Naval Air Depot on base. If anyone sees these photos and know anything about this ” Hoffman Dance Group “, please let us hear from you. I am interested personally about who Ms. Hoffman is and how long that she had these dance recitals out on the base. Thanks for looking and please check back … Frank
Harry James In Pensacola …
The tall guy with the black jacket is Harry James, famous trumpet player and band leader. What he was doing in Pensacola, as well as who the other people in the photo are, is a mystery to me. In fact, the only thing that I knew about Harry James was that he was the first big-band leader to hire Frank Sinatra back in 1939. Here is a link to his Wikipedia site. I also saw that he was married to Betty Gable at one time in his life … that I am impressed with. Betty Gable, I believe, had the number 1 pin-up / photo for the guys in WW II. If anyone recognizes any of the other people in the photo, please let us know. Also, if he was in Pensacola to play a concert or whatever, let us know. Thanks for looking … Frank
Several More Pitchers For The Dons …
As usual, I do not have a name for this player, but I am just impressed with the intensity that this pitcher is throwing with for a photographer to take a picture. Also, notice how sharp the fence in the backfield is the photograph. You can read all of the business names very easily … Hill-Kelly Dodge, National Laundry, Fisher-Brown Insurance, W.B. Wood Appliances, etc. I have one other pitcher that I have cleaned-up a little to post …
This guy is throwing with some power, also. I hope that they looked this intense in a real game as they did when my father was taking their photographs. I mentioned in an earlier post that I am interested in seeing if anyone out there might a color photo of the team showing their uniforms and if anyone happened to have shot some footage with a movie camera at any of their games. If anyone ever runs across any of the two, please contact me through this blog. Thanks for looking and if anyone out there recognizes either of these two players, please let me know and if you have any comments let mu hear them … Frank
A Few More From The Dons File …
These two images are ones that I found in my files from the Dons, but neither one have anything to do with the baseball team. The photo above is the secretary / office manager / business manager … I guess she was the one that kept the wheels on the truck for the Dons. Notice the bare concrete block walls in the office. I do not believe that sheet rock was used in the construction industry until the late 1960’s or even the 1970’s. I know that most houses built in the late 1950’s used a type of plaster over plywood on room walls. If anyone is familiar with the construction industry in the 1950’s and 1960’s could tell us about the plaster walls and tell us when sheet rock started being used. The photo envelopes in the right hand corner was the type of photo mailers used back in the 50’s. I have one or two of these laying around, but I know I have not seen one used in thirty five years or so. The photo below is one that was from the body building contest photos that I forgot to include. I do not know who these guys are, but they look vaguely familiar … I am sure some one out there will recognize one of these guys.
One more thing, if anyone out there has a color photograph showing a player or the team, I would be interested in seeing the photo. All of the photos that I have of the team are all black and whites. I am interested in seeing what color the Dons team logo is on the player’s uniforms. Also, if anyone ever runs across a home movie made at one the Dons games, please let me hear from you. It is funny that there can not be any film shot during a Dons game that is lying around in someone’s file cabinet On the other hand, I do not think that the home movie business started until the 60’s. You had color transparency film back in the 1950’s and a little in the 1940’s, however it was used mostly by the military and the magazine photographers. Color film for the general consumer was not available until the 1960’s and I wanted to say mid-1960’s before it became common place.
Well, that is all I have for this post. Let me hear from hear if you come across any color movie film or color photographs on the Dons. I hope everyone has a safe Fourth of July. It is hard to believe that 2014 is half over and that Christmas is just around the corner. Thanks for looking and please check back … Frank
The Pensacola Dons And Another Promotion …
A good while ago, I posted a photo of a Dons player awarding a pretty girl in a bathing suit some flowers for winning a beauty contest. No one recognized the player or the girl, but the someone did identify the master of ceremonies for the event as a local radio personalty. In the background were the rest of the beauty contestants. Here is that photo again …
Note the suitcase that reads ” Philco ” that I guess contains the equipment to broadcast the event on local radio. I cannot identify what radio station, but I would imagine that it was either WCOA, WBSR or some other local station. So, since the Dons management had this event for all of the guys out in the audience, they needed to do some for all of the ladies sitting in the bleachers down at the Admiral Mason Park … a body builders contest. I do not know if this event was held on the same night or if it done on another night and as usual, I have no idea who any of the body builders are or who the young lady is awarding the winners. I cannot tell if she is this girl above or not, but she very well could be. So here goes … I am just going to post all of the photos and save my comment to the end …
After looking at these photos, I am going to say that the girl in the top photograph is the girl in these presenting the trophies to the body builders. As usual, I do not have a clue who any of these people are. I have been surprised that I have not received that many comments from people who attended the Dons games from back in the late 1950’s. I also am interested if anyone recorded any film from any of the games or of just random footage shot at the Admiral Mason Park during this era of the Dons. I realize that this will be a long shot, but I am interested in seeing if anyone shot anything. When I was looking through my scans of the Dons recently, I discovered that I have around 100 to 120 scans from the Dons years of 1957, 58 and 59, so I will try to throw up a few more in the next few weeks. Please check back and let me hear from you … Frank
Pensacola Dons with Bo Belinsky …
This is a group photo of the pitching staff of the Pensacola Dons from 1959. I am not 100% on the year, but I am pretty sure that was the year. Belinsky in the the back row on the far right side. I do not have a clue who any of the other pitchers are at this point … I will have to do some checking and see if I can find some names. I ran across a folder that I have scanned, but I have not cleaned any of the photos up and gotten ready to post. There might be 40 or so negatives that I have scanned in this folder. Some negatives are of a group of male body builders in their bathing suites and some girls giving them their awards. I have posted a photo of a beauty queen receiving a trophy from a ball player, but I have not done anything with the guys. I guess management figured if they did something for the men in the stands that they had better do something for the women so that they would not have a riot on their hands. I will work them up in the next few weeks and post them. Maybe the Blue Wahoos could learn a thing or two from the Dons, however the way that they pack that new stadium every game, they are certainly doing something right because it sure ain’t the way that they are playing!! Thanks for looking and please check back … Frank
One more thing, here is a link to Bo Belinsky’s Wikipedia page. He was really an interesting guy, so just google him and read about him ….
Anyone Recognize Any of These People …
Do any of these people look familiar to you? The man on the far left looks vaguely familiar to me … no clue to the lady … the next guy, maybe and the guy on the end, no clue. The photo is torn in several places and is not in very condition and I can not even identify where the photo was made or what they are standing in front of. I have a feeling someone out there will recognize someone in this photo. To the people here in the panhandle, I hope that you made it through the rain storm unscathed and all right. For the people who did not, I feel for you … we lost our home in Hurricane Ivan, had more damage the following year with Dennis, so I know what you are going through. You just have to remember that time heals everything … that no matter how bad it looks today, it does get better. When ? Well. that is the $64,000 question. So good luck and if anyone knows any of these people, leave a comment. Thanks for looking … Frank
Florida Fence Company …
These images were made for the Florida Fence Company back in the 1950’s. I do not know the subdivision or location of the pictured house / fence. I have some more ” subdivision ” photos that I will post in the future. To me, they are fairly interesting, but I do not seem to get a lost of response when I post those type of images. Here is one more showing more of the house …
One thing that the young viewers might not recognize are those metal structures on the side of the house. And also, there is not one satellite dish in the picture. I want to say that the larger of the two antennae might be some type of radio antenna, like a ” ham ” radio tower. But I am not sure, or maybe it is the other way around. I feel confident that someone out there can fill us in. Thanks for looking and please check back … Frank
Another First Methodist Photo …
This is not a great photo … it is not as sharp as I would like it to be. I have several different variations of this view and I have been working on one for the longest trying to remove the telephone pole out of the photo. I have about half taken out and I have spent too many hours on it already, but I will finish it one day. In the mean time I thought that I would just throw this one out. My father made this back when it snowed fairly hard in Pensacola back in February of 1958, I believe was the year. If I am wrong, please correct me. You also see in the corner on the right side of the frame, the old furniture company building that now houses The Wright Place. I wish I could remember the name of the old furniture company, but that was before my time. I remember that Rhodes Furniture occupied the building on the other side of Wright Street across from Christ Church. If anyone has any comments, please let us hear them and thanks for looking … Frank
NOTE: The image that I mentioned in the above post is up on the blog and it does have the telephone pole in the image. I have been working on taking it out and I will eventually. I am not sure of the date that I posted it, but it is only about 20 or so posts back from this one. You can go up to the ” search ” button on the top right side of this blog and type in ” First Methodist Church ” and it will pop up with a few other First Methodist posts … Thanks
First Flight Golf Balls …
These photos were taken back in 1959 out at Pensacola Country Club. The two guys above I have no names for the two guys in the photo above. By the way, I am not even sure if they make First Flight golf balls anymore … the name does not ring a bell to me at all. I am sure a couple of you old timers will remember hitting a First Flight ball with your wooden head driver. I bet the young golfers will be surprised to know that before titanium heads on your drivers, they were made out of wood. That seems like the dark ages now. Here are some more photos of golfers, none of which are really familiar to me …
Bud Ellsworth, Jim Stamps and Carroll Armstrong are the golfers names. I only know that because I read their names on their golf bags. Now that I think about their names, they do sound remotely familiar. Like I mentioned earlier, these photos were taken out at Pensacola Country Club and I know that the background has changed in the last fifty something years, so might give some of there old members something to reminisce about. Thanks for looking and please check back … Frank
Frank Hardy Made My Photographs Two 
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