cissp
Cyber Cop
In late 2004, while living in Palm Bay, Florida, I was getting homesick for the DC area in general, and was finding myself reminiscing more and more about growing up in Marlow Heights of the 60s and 70s. I saw an ad for web site hosting and thought, hmmm, I've been an IT guy for quite a few years, I can probably create my own web site. After all, NO ONE would think of creating a web site about Marlow Heights during the 60s and 70s, right? So after acquiring some old photos and entering information about the area from memory, Marlow Heights 60s and 70s was launched officially on January 1, 2005.
The site soon found a niche with Baby Boomers who grew up in not only Marlow Heights, but the nearby communities of Hillcrest Heights, Temple Hills, Suitland, Oxon Hill, District Heights, Camp Springs, Capitol Heights, and Morningside. The site received the attention of people not specifically from those communities; in late 2005 a DC newspaper did a feature article on the Marlow Heights 60s and 70s web site. As the web site grew, more and more web site followers began requesting an in person get together of people who grew up in Marlow Heights and the vicinity, of the 60s and 70s. However, no one could agree where to meet. In March 2008, while having lunch at the old Steak in a Sack (a Marlow Heights institution since 1962, owned, and still owned, by the Khalid family) to celebrate my birthday, the idea just came to me to have get togethers there at Steak in a Sack. After all, it was one of the few places in or around Marlow Heights that was one, still open, and two, a place that just about everyone from the area remembered and could identify with. So on March 29, 2008, I hosted our first ever get together at Steak in a Sack. While we didn't have a huge turnout (perhaps a total of 10 people showed up), we not only enjoyed the get together at Steak in a Sack, but were also able to visit the old Sandymount Elementary, Benjamin Stoddert Jr. High, Potomac Senior High, Hillcrest Heights Elementary, Green Valley Elementary, Panorama Elementary, G. Gardner Shugart Jr. High, and Overlook Elementary.
That lead to these Steak in a Sack get togethers becoming regular occurrences during the year; a total of four are held each year. The first one each year is always held on the last Saturday in March, to commemorate the first ever get together in March 2008. Another get together is next held in May or June, one in August or September, and the last one of the year is usually the first or second week of December. On March 27, 2010, we held our largest gathering at Steak in a Sack ever, and since then, with a total of approximately 60 people jam packed into the restaurant. There was also a local newspaper reporter and their photographer on hand, in what became the second newspaper article written on the web site. Up 'til now, I have hosted almost 30 of these get togethers at Steak in a Sack, and they have become a tradition. Former Sandymount, Stoddert, and Potomac classmate Billie Martin has every single get together at Steak in a Sack. You just never know who you'll see at Steak in a Sack. Even people who were initially skeptical about coming to Marlow Heights, in fact, paranoid (Come to Marlow Heights? Oh, no way I'm coming back to the 'hood!) have pushed those unfounded fears aside and come out to enjoy a nice nostalgic visit.
2009 saw two articles published in the Washington Post related to my web site, back to back. The first article was about Benjamin Stoddert Jr. High's, "Peppermint Pipers", a phenomenal performance group that existed for two years during the late 60s. The second article appeared the next day, and was about my web site itself. October 2009 saw another first for the web site--the inaugural, "Marlow Heights 60s and 70s Back to School Dance", held at the American Legion in Chesapeake Beach, attended by approximately 300 people. The success of this dance convinced me that there was a desire by many people who grew up in PG County during the 60s and 70s to have a dance once a year, to see others who grew up during the same time period, in the same or similar communities. Since then that's exactly what I have done. Beginning with 2015's dance (October 3, at the Upper Marlboro Moose Lodge), it has been renamed the, "PG County 60s and 70s Back to School Dance", recognizing the web site's broader appeal beyond just Marlow Heights and the immediate area. Finally, 2009 also saw the first school tour, beyond impromptu visits to Benjamin Stoddert Jr. High and Sandymount Elementary, in which an employee of Potomac took a group of us on a tour of the school. Go Braves!
With all the web site related get togethers, many, many people have been able to reconnect with lots of old friends and former classmates. I have also seen myself: my 5th Grade teacher from Sandymount Elementary, Ms. Doyle; my 8th Grade English teacher from Benjamin Stoddert Jr. High, Mrs. Marshall; former Principal from Benjamin Stoddert Jr. High, Mr. Moran; and former Potomac Senior High Vice Principal and later Principal, Suitland Senior High, Mr. Suhr. People have asked me more than a couple of times, why the abiding devotion to my Marlow Heights web site, the Steak in a Sack get togethers, the dances? Surely it involves a lot of time, expense, and effort. Well, yes it does. But when I see someone who recognizes an old friend, classmate, or teacher at one of my web site related events, and I know they have not seen one another in many years, I feel an extreme sense of joy and satisfaction knowing that I had a hand in bringing so many back together again.
So what does the future hold as Marlow Heights 60s and 70s embarks on its next 10 years? Well, the web site itself will be redesigned again this year, to make it more compliant with current web technologies, more interactive for visitors, and to include a great deal more content for everyone to see. For example, I plan to put up more than 20 school yearbooks that I had professionally scanned into digital files, so that everyone could see them for free. People should be able to leave comments on the web site itself, as well as linking to social networks, such as Facebook. Beyond that? Well, in a web site that has continually produced many firsts, I guarantee you that I've got more up my sleeve, so stay tuned! The Marlow Heights 60s and 70s web site has always been free, and will remain free. I've always strived to provide a place for people to travel back down Memory Lane of those PG County 60s and 70s neighborhoods, schools, hangouts, etc. Remember, "Keep the Memories Alive!"
As always…
Keep the memories alive,
Chuck Fraley
www.marlowheights60sand70s.com
Bringing you fun memories of Marlow Heights and vicinity of the 60s and 70s!
The site soon found a niche with Baby Boomers who grew up in not only Marlow Heights, but the nearby communities of Hillcrest Heights, Temple Hills, Suitland, Oxon Hill, District Heights, Camp Springs, Capitol Heights, and Morningside. The site received the attention of people not specifically from those communities; in late 2005 a DC newspaper did a feature article on the Marlow Heights 60s and 70s web site. As the web site grew, more and more web site followers began requesting an in person get together of people who grew up in Marlow Heights and the vicinity, of the 60s and 70s. However, no one could agree where to meet. In March 2008, while having lunch at the old Steak in a Sack (a Marlow Heights institution since 1962, owned, and still owned, by the Khalid family) to celebrate my birthday, the idea just came to me to have get togethers there at Steak in a Sack. After all, it was one of the few places in or around Marlow Heights that was one, still open, and two, a place that just about everyone from the area remembered and could identify with. So on March 29, 2008, I hosted our first ever get together at Steak in a Sack. While we didn't have a huge turnout (perhaps a total of 10 people showed up), we not only enjoyed the get together at Steak in a Sack, but were also able to visit the old Sandymount Elementary, Benjamin Stoddert Jr. High, Potomac Senior High, Hillcrest Heights Elementary, Green Valley Elementary, Panorama Elementary, G. Gardner Shugart Jr. High, and Overlook Elementary.
That lead to these Steak in a Sack get togethers becoming regular occurrences during the year; a total of four are held each year. The first one each year is always held on the last Saturday in March, to commemorate the first ever get together in March 2008. Another get together is next held in May or June, one in August or September, and the last one of the year is usually the first or second week of December. On March 27, 2010, we held our largest gathering at Steak in a Sack ever, and since then, with a total of approximately 60 people jam packed into the restaurant. There was also a local newspaper reporter and their photographer on hand, in what became the second newspaper article written on the web site. Up 'til now, I have hosted almost 30 of these get togethers at Steak in a Sack, and they have become a tradition. Former Sandymount, Stoddert, and Potomac classmate Billie Martin has every single get together at Steak in a Sack. You just never know who you'll see at Steak in a Sack. Even people who were initially skeptical about coming to Marlow Heights, in fact, paranoid (Come to Marlow Heights? Oh, no way I'm coming back to the 'hood!) have pushed those unfounded fears aside and come out to enjoy a nice nostalgic visit.
2009 saw two articles published in the Washington Post related to my web site, back to back. The first article was about Benjamin Stoddert Jr. High's, "Peppermint Pipers", a phenomenal performance group that existed for two years during the late 60s. The second article appeared the next day, and was about my web site itself. October 2009 saw another first for the web site--the inaugural, "Marlow Heights 60s and 70s Back to School Dance", held at the American Legion in Chesapeake Beach, attended by approximately 300 people. The success of this dance convinced me that there was a desire by many people who grew up in PG County during the 60s and 70s to have a dance once a year, to see others who grew up during the same time period, in the same or similar communities. Since then that's exactly what I have done. Beginning with 2015's dance (October 3, at the Upper Marlboro Moose Lodge), it has been renamed the, "PG County 60s and 70s Back to School Dance", recognizing the web site's broader appeal beyond just Marlow Heights and the immediate area. Finally, 2009 also saw the first school tour, beyond impromptu visits to Benjamin Stoddert Jr. High and Sandymount Elementary, in which an employee of Potomac took a group of us on a tour of the school. Go Braves!
With all the web site related get togethers, many, many people have been able to reconnect with lots of old friends and former classmates. I have also seen myself: my 5th Grade teacher from Sandymount Elementary, Ms. Doyle; my 8th Grade English teacher from Benjamin Stoddert Jr. High, Mrs. Marshall; former Principal from Benjamin Stoddert Jr. High, Mr. Moran; and former Potomac Senior High Vice Principal and later Principal, Suitland Senior High, Mr. Suhr. People have asked me more than a couple of times, why the abiding devotion to my Marlow Heights web site, the Steak in a Sack get togethers, the dances? Surely it involves a lot of time, expense, and effort. Well, yes it does. But when I see someone who recognizes an old friend, classmate, or teacher at one of my web site related events, and I know they have not seen one another in many years, I feel an extreme sense of joy and satisfaction knowing that I had a hand in bringing so many back together again.
So what does the future hold as Marlow Heights 60s and 70s embarks on its next 10 years? Well, the web site itself will be redesigned again this year, to make it more compliant with current web technologies, more interactive for visitors, and to include a great deal more content for everyone to see. For example, I plan to put up more than 20 school yearbooks that I had professionally scanned into digital files, so that everyone could see them for free. People should be able to leave comments on the web site itself, as well as linking to social networks, such as Facebook. Beyond that? Well, in a web site that has continually produced many firsts, I guarantee you that I've got more up my sleeve, so stay tuned! The Marlow Heights 60s and 70s web site has always been free, and will remain free. I've always strived to provide a place for people to travel back down Memory Lane of those PG County 60s and 70s neighborhoods, schools, hangouts, etc. Remember, "Keep the Memories Alive!"
As always…
Keep the memories alive,
Chuck Fraley
www.marlowheights60sand70s.com
Bringing you fun memories of Marlow Heights and vicinity of the 60s and 70s!
