Baldwin Hills Village Green, friends and former residents

https://open.substack.com/pub/steveclose/p/growing-up-in-the-1940s?r=now4l&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Growing up in the 1940's Baldwin Hills Village Green, Los Angeles, CA

Valborg (Bobby), Kingsley (King), Eleanore, Virginia and Steve Close outside 5130 Village Green c 1954-5. Glory Days! Photo likely taken by Eleanore's future husband, Todd Tennyson
Amy Kornberg with a really good camera. Note the Algerian Ivy (snake, rodent and lost baseball harborage), removed after the December 14, 1963 Baldwin Hills Dam disaster. Close family first residents from 1942 to 1960. Steve sez it was the best place ever for a kid to grow up.

How it was the Close family moved to the Village Green in 1942

California Here I Come The Close Family Moves West

I was working at the Rodeo Bowl December 14, 1963, when the dam broke. I also attended the commemoration filmed here in 2013. The first few minutes of this video featured fascinating information, even new to me!

50 Years Baldwin Hills Dam Break Program marking the 50 years.

Additional photos of my family and friends of 5130 Village Green from 1950 to 1960 when we sadly left the Village. The first 17 years of my life were a dream living in the Village Green.

Close Family 5130 Village Green 1950 1960

These are some photos of my family and other friends and acquaintances in the Village Green 1940 to 1950.

Close Family 5130 Village Green 1942 1950 I misspoke, the playground was toward Sycamore at the end of the garage court #1. Aunt Elspeth was my other Aunt, my Dad's Sister.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I recently visited the page and was difficult to navigate through all the meta commercials. I hope it appears more friendly to newcomers and it does to me, the administrator.

I haven't tended this page in a while. It's littered now with Meta Facebook business promotions. I have interest and it's made the page unfriendly. Sorry about that. I did hear from Carol who found her photo on my page. Very exciting to me to hear from her. This is what she posted:

Carol Van SchaackBaldwin Hills Village Green, friends and former residents
May 25, 2020 ·
Recently stumbled on this site. I spent my first 3-4 years (1943-46) at Baldwin Hills & recognize myself in some of the photographs. Here's another one of me, flanked by my brothers Hugh & Bob Fryling. Hugh lives near Boise now & Bob lives in Ramona. I don't remember anything from that time but Bob remembers going across the street to hang out with the soldiers stationed there.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

December 14, 1963, when the dam broke. I was there.

Jim Otto and I outside his house on Bowesfield in L.A., c 1962, before Kennedy was shot 11-22-63 and the dam broke shortly thereafter.

Steven Keylon kind enough to share my story of this event on his Baldwin Hills Village Green blogspot.

Briefly, I outran the flood, got my surfboard and paddled around the 'hood.

Surfing the Floodwaters - The Baldwin Hills Flood: December 14, 1963 Steve Close, right and his friend Jim Otto on their surfboards at the Otto's house on Bowesfield, just north of Baldwin Hills Village. Ph...