THE CONFECTIONARIES OF DOGTOWN: MRS. NEWROTH'S

Mrs. Newroth's was just across the street from my house and it figured in two very important stories in my life.

Shortly after WWII and even before my parents built their house on Tamm, I used to stay with my Grandmother Corbett on Wade until my mother got home from work. At that time there were always collections going on for the various orphans of the world. One of my buddies, and I'm not trying to protect his good name, I just have no memory who it was, went door to door on Tamm collecting for these orphans and ended up taking much of the money and simply gorging ourselves at Mrs. Newroth's on Twinkies, cokes and candies.

One of my mother's friends saw this very atypical feast going on for the two 7 year olds and asked my mom about it. (Ah, this is the down side of growing up in a neighborhood where everyone's business is everyone else's!) My mother forced the truth out of me and then picked a significant switch off a tree in Grandma Corbett's yard and marched me back to every house, with a number of whacks with the switch between each house. When the owner came I had to say: "I'm returning your money you donated to the orphans. I stole it and bought candy and soda." At every house.

Okay, I never parented quite like that. And I'm sure modern minds would be ready to turn my mom in for child abuse or whatever. However, it did have one effect I've really enjoyed in my life: I've never had the slightest desire again in my life to take money or goods which didn't belong to me. I think the humiliation was enough to last for a long time, or at least its held now for 55 years.

The second event involves the dear Mrs. Newroth much more personally, and come to think if it, might have ended in total disaster without the first event many years earlier. However, when I was 11 or 12 Larry Hillebrand and his dad got me involved in coin collecting. Larry and I used to get rolls of coins from banks and hunt for the nickels, pennies, dimes and quarters we needed. (We had more trouble coming up with the replacement money for the half dollars!)

When Mrs. Newroth found out about my collection she invited me to come into her store each late afternoon and go through her cash register. She was a fully trusting woman and was in the back room or elsewhere when I was going through the cash drawer. But, as I say, this was five year's after my mother's "lesson" and Mrs. Newroth could have been gone for a week and I wouldn't have expropriated a penny.

One of the rarest of the Lincoln pennies and the only one I ever owned was the 1914-D (minted in Denver) and I found that coin in her cash box. I was so utterly excited. I ran home, told my parents. They were happy for me but (at that time) had no appreciation for it at all (later my mother became and avid coin collection, but she had to purchase her 14-D from a dealer), so I ran down to Mr. Hillebrand who showed the proper enthusiasm for my coin even if he had one in near mint condition!

Her store was just 1/2 block up the hill from the hand ball courts and many a young hand ball player slaked his thirst on drinks from her shop and had a treat to go with it if he could scrounge up 10 or 15 cents. Today Garavaglia's is once again open and plays that important role for so many who use the St. James gym for athletic events.

Bob Corbett

Kathing Standfield (Vezeau -- class of 1958), adds
Really enjoyed article on Mrs.Newroth's store. She really did have great candy. Mexican hats (chewy); B-B-Bats (long lasting taffy suckers); Kits; and so much more.