obsolescene [was church key]

[Wilson Gray]

On Feb 27, 2005, at 12:02 PM, sagehen wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       sagehen <sagehen at WESTELCOM.COM>
> Subject:      Re: obsolescene [was church key]
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>
>> In my day, ice was delivered by the ice man, a system well-attested in
>> various blues songs through the ''50's. There was a sign that was
>> placed in a front window to let the ice man know how many pounds of
>> ice
>> were wanted. I learned "figidaire" first. My grandmother in Texas had
>> a
>> General Electric frigidaire. When we moved to St. Louis, we at first
>> couldn't afford a frigidaire. So, we got an icebox.
>>
>> -Wilson Gray
>> ~~~~~~~~~~
> We, too, had an icebox, which was retired to the back porch and used
> as a
> cupboard when we got a monitor-top GE refrigerator.  I still hear
> myself
> saying "icebox" instead of "fridge," at times.  "Frigidaire" wasn't
> the the
> GE brand...might have been Westinghouse's (or poss. GM's?).
> The iceman continued to visit our street through most of the '30s.  The
> sign the householder put in the front window had the amounts wanted
> printed
> in different orientations; it was turned so that the one wanted was at
> the
> top.
> A. Murie
>

I remember the "need ice" sign as being exactly as you describe it. I
recall that the brand name of the icebox was "Coolerator." Frigidaires
were originally manufactured by GM. I googled it. Coolerator made
electric fridges, too. But, when we upgraded to electric, we got a
Kelvinator. For a while, we borrowed a gas-powered Servel from my
mother's sister. Remember those? How about the Crosley Shelvador?

-Wilson Gray