Aug. 4, 2013 — In the second or third grade (1958, 1959), Glenwood Heights, THIS is the lunchbox I wanted … a red barn.
One of the kids had it, probably Jackie Beard. We rode the school bus together, almost to the end of the line. Mr. Beers drove. He lived on a farm across from Jackie’s place and kitty-corner from the Catholic church. A huge unfenced field was between our five acres, the church, and Jackie’s … a gigantic oak tree exactly in the middle, a ditch right behind divided the field. Russ remembers it as a ravine … He was almost 3 years old when we moved to Tillamook, Dec. 1959 … To a little tyke, a ditch is a ravine!
Years later, watching Leave It to Beaver, there it was … the astronaut, spaceship lunchbox I really took to school!
Season 3, episode 9, Teacher Comes to Dinner (Miss Landers, of course!), Nov. 28, 1959 … at 17 min., 25 sec. … Other episodes, also … I’ll track ’em down in Netflix streaming video. Hooray for technology!
My formerly unappreciated lunchbox stars with Rusty Stevens as the Beav’s pal, Larry Mondello. For a boy, it’s great … for me, with no outer space aspirations, not so much.
That first moment we met in the kitchen … I was SO disappointed. Mr. Lunchbox gleamed with his deep space blues and satellite grays. He tried so hard to please. I wanted a red barn … That didn’t last long … We became partners … He carried tomatoes, tiny Morton salt shakers and waxpaper-wrapped sandwiches with steadfast care.
Thank you, Mr. Lunchbox, for two important lessons …
- It’s what’s inside that counts, and
- You can’t judge a lunchbox by it’s cover!
Mr. Lunchbox is long gone, but his twins show up on eBay … Rusted and well-used, they’re going for $145 … nostalgic inflation! … I’ll just enjoy the photos and memories:
Left – P.S. – At least one member of the family had a “barn” lunchbox … basic black …
Dad took one like this to work. – Vivienne’s Attic
All the lunchboxes are by Thermos, founded in 1904.
“In
1953, Thermos introduces the
first fully lithographed steel lunch box and Thermos vacuum bottle with the image of western
star
Roy Rogers. The lunch kit sells over 2,000,000 units in the first year.” –
Thermos: Our History
Movies, Of Course! 