Memoirs of a Toledo Childhood: Paper Deliveries

"Memoirs of a Toledo Childhood" follows the recollections and reflections of Michael Murray, a Toledoan born and raised in the South Side in the 1950s. These snippets of childhood from the previous generation, released as moments rather than a chronological timeline, remind us of what once was and the experiences and legacies that built our present. The excerpts are adapted from Murray's Memoir of a Toledoan and are released with permission of the author.

the Midstory Team

July 16, 2018

The view from Carlton and Spencer Street

Every day after school I would ride my bike to the Blade station at Carlton and Spencer Street. I learned the art of pitching pennies against the wall while waiting for papers to arrive; closest to the wall won. A perfect day of delivering papers was when every throw made it on the porch. If you missed, you stopped, parked your bike, and put the paper on the porch. If you had a job, you did it right. Every Saturday morning, I would go door to door to collect my route. The Blade was 48 cents a week. When Christmas came around most customers gave me 50 cents or a dollar tip.