Friday, February 24, 2017
Paul was my best boyhood friend. I spent so much time with him and his mom and dad on Farview St in Carbondale west side. We played a lot of basketball on a dirt court that was nice and flat vs using the brick road telephone phone on a hill. We did sleigh riding down Farview St from 44th st. Not many people had cars so it was often clear sailing.
Then, Paul and family moved across the tracks to the nicer part of town on 9th Ave. Of course, Mugs went with the family and Mary Woody Montgomery and Ben Montgomery lived just a door or two away on 9th. But Mugs visited me most days. He was a little black and white terrier but he walked up River St, (don't know if he crossed the tracks or took the viaduct bridge over the D&H tracks) each day to visit me. In the summer of 46, I used to tie a note to Paul on his collar of Mugs and send him back to 9th St, a mile plus away. It usually said: See you at McCawley's around 1PM or let's play basketball this afternoon etc.
We stayed good pals over the years. I wish he had lived closer. We could have used our dogs to communicate....some of Paul's classmates have gotten together over the years but getting Paul to communicate was not easy unless you asked him to golf.
Blessings to my forever friend, Paul Woody.
jack gilroy