As we wind down another summer here on the East Coast, we have definitely had our share of heat and humidity. Although you always expect summers to be hot, it's always a bit of a shock when you leave the comfort of an air-conditioned room and into the hot, damp oven of the outdoors.
Today, it's not uncommon to postpone activities due to the excessive heat. If a building's air conditioning system is broken, it almost always results in shutting things down and sending up the Bat Signal for the HVAC crew. This is especially true for schools...
Kids (and most adults) today have literally been conditioned for climate-controlled classrooms. And I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with that. After all, we're in the United States of America in the 21st century. But when I was a young kid back in the 70's, air-conditioned classrooms were the exception and not rule. And somehow, I survived and I'm here to tell you about it.
Now, don't get me wrong, it wasn't exactly pleasant sitting in a 90-degree classroom. I can remember sitting at my wooden desk with sweat rolling down the sides of my husky head. And this was before the teacher even mentioned anything about a pop quiz. By lunchtime, the classroom was transformed into a sea of perspiration-glazed desktops. And trust me, there was no one wiping these things down with any kind of disinfectant at the end of the day. I imagine that we had the auto-immune system of a cockroach by the time we got to the sixth grade.
If you were lucky enough, your teacher would bring a large oscillating fan into the room. It essentially blew warm air in your direction with every 90-degree turn. It didn't really cool you but at least it helped to control the sweat flow. I would sometimes find an excuse to get up from my desk and walk in front of the fan to get a bonus blast. Of course, if I stood in front of the fan too long, it would draw verbal ire from my classmates. And the teacher would intervene by saying, "Mr. Wilson, please take your seat!"
When I went home after school. things didn't get a whole lot easier. You see, our house was not equipped with air conditioning either. The only salvation came in the form of an occasional breeze that made it's way through the open windows. We also had a damp cellar that would offer a temporary refuge. But the cobwebs and scurrying insects did not make it an ideal cooling place. I can also remember putting my head in the freezer to get a few seconds of relief.
Hardly anyone had central air conditioning in my neighborhood. However, many of my friends' homes were cooled with portable window AC units. Most of the houses in the neighborhood were small rowhomes. So, an average size window unit could do a decent job of cooling things down. I lobbied my Dad to go this route but he wouldn't bite. But he did eventually install an above-ground swimming pool in the back yard. This quickly became our go-to summertime refreshment source.
I would also spend a fair amount of time at the local library to keep cool. The Enoch Pratt Free Library was located just a couple of blocks from my home. They had a reading area with large comfortable chairs. I would find an interesting book or magazine and spend the next couple hours soaking in the climate-controlled air.
Catching a movie was also a way to cool off for a couple of hours. But, of course, going to the movie theater costs money. And money was tight back then. Although the movie itself wasn't too expensive (I almost always opted for the reduced-price matinee), the assortment of concessions could really put a dent in your wallet. As a husky boy, I just couldn't sit through a 2-hour movie without a sugary soft drink and a gigantic tub of buttered popcorn. I was fortunate to have a movie theater just a few blocks from my house. I went to see "Jaws" about a dozen times. Yes, it was a great movie. But the comfort of the movie theater was just as much of a lure.
Many of the neighborhood kids played baseball in the local Little League. You would sweat profusely while fielding your position in the summer sun. The sweat would act as a magnet for the infield dirt that would inevitably get kicked up. Gatorade wasn't a big thing bag then. So, the only salvation for your thirst was a warm Coca-Cola from the concession stand at the end of the game. And when you finally made it home to take a bath, the tub quickly took on the resemblance of an orange mud puddle. Even after draining the tub, the substantial amount of orange grit scattered the tub floor. You basically had to give the tub a bath when you were done. And then, before I even made it downstairs, I was already sweating profusely again! It was a never-ending cycle!
Trying to sleep in the summertime was also quite a challenge. Since heat naturally rises, the upstairs in my parent's house was always at least fifteen degrees warmer than the downstairs. I had a large window fan in my bedroom window. My parents tried to convince me that by running the fan in reverse, the warm air would be pulled out of the house. I would always try to argue that it was futile effort because we were essentially exchanging warm inside air for warm outside air. But they wouldn't buy it and I was left to sweat myself to sleep.
Air-conditioned cars were a real luxury back in the day as well. In most cases, the only "air conditioning" came in the form of warm air blowing through the dashboard vents. If you ever see an older car, you'll notice a series of slots between the hood and windshield. This is were the outside air entered for the "vent cooling".
Fast forward to modern day....
It's hard to imagine dealing with the heat in these situations anymore. Air conditioning is almost standard in every building and automobile. And even though I still fondly remember those hot days of my childhood, I have no desire to relive them. Stay cool, my friends. Stay cool...
kw
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