A light that will never fail–by Jim Heffernan...

Deep in December it’s nice to remember, although you know the snow will follow. Deep in December it’s nice to remember, without a hurt, the heart is hollow.
— A stanza from the song “Try to Remember”

Bethany Lutheran Church at 2308 West Third Street. (Image: Google)

It’s not too deep in December yet, but it is far enough into the holiday season to, well, to remember yuletide seasons of the past, as most adults tend to do when thinking of the joy of childhood Christmases.

Before I do that, though, I want to note that this is my final monthly column for Zenith City Online, as it shifts to a more relaxed publishing schedule. I’ve been Zenith City’s western Duluth correspondent since the beginning, designated that because it is the neighborhood of my childhood and youth, my upbringing and education. I’m a Denfeld Boy.

It’s been an interesting ride, writing monthly about some aspect of western Duluth over the years, the columns weighted heavily to the West End, the actual neighborhood of my past. Duluthians of today know the West End is now officially called Lincoln Park, and, to some, West Duluth is known as Spirit Valley.

I’ve learned some things I didn’t know about the history of the neighborhood where I spent the formative years of my life…many things, come to think of it. But today I will revert to a bit of personal history with a reminiscence of the Christmas season in the West End church in which I grew up.

The West End and West Duluth are replete with churches of most Christian denominations. Each one, I know, had Christmas traditions fondly recalled by those who experienced them as children.

What follows here is my own reminiscence of Christmas in the West End’s Bethany Lutheran, 23rd Avenue West and Third Street, where my family worshiped. This column first ran in the Duluth News Tribune in 2001, and was included in the book of 52 of my newspaper columns, Cooler Near the Lake, published in 2008. (You can find the book here.)

Before attaching that column, let me say I’ve enjoyed writing for Zenith City Online these past several years, and appreciate having been included. I continue to operate a blog—jimheffernan.org—on which I write on a variety of subjects from time to time.

Now, here is that column, titled  “A Light That Will Never Fail.”

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(The previous writing was my introduction to my final monthly post on Zenith City Online. 

Read "The Light that will Never Fail" HERE and in my book.)

My '40 Ford DeLuxe Coupe...

By Jim Heffernan

My '40 Ford DeLuxe Coupe, circa 1956

This is the car I had in high school, a 1940 Ford DeLuxe coupe. I recently posted this picture on line to illustrate an upcoming column I wrote for the Duluth history web magazine Zenith City Online. I am known as “Denfeld Boy” on the site, and this is the car I drove when I was a student there.

The Zenith City column recalls the days of car clubs in Duluth in the 1950s, including the Regents Car Club, the one in western Duluth. Watch for the column on Zenith City Online in about a week.

My dad forked over the $150 for my ’40 Ford in the summer of 1956 when I was 16 years old and about to be a Denfeld junior. I found it on a used car lot in Moose Lake, looking pretty dusty and with a broken rear spring.

A buddy who was a talented mechanic replaced the spring and I took it home, washed and polished it, painted – yes painted – white sidewalls on the tires and took this picture in the alley behind our house.

The ’40 Ford was well on is way to becoming a classic even then. It is considered a bona fide classic today, with those in pristine stock or restored condition selling well up in the five figures.

I parted with mine in 1963, trading it and some cash for a forgettable ’61 Chevy convertible. More’s the pity.

A ghost from my past...

I've been doing a lot of writing... but not so much here. I've had a deadline to meet for Tony Dierckin's Zenith City Online for my March "Denfeld Boy" column and sent it in today. Look for my recollections in the March edition online in Zenith City Online. I wrote a piece on the old Lincoln School that now sits fallow in Duluth's West End and my recollections about the infamous former principal, Dr. Carl T. Wise. Tony found this photo advertisement (above) from an ad in an old Duluth News Tribune newspaper as he was doing some research at the Duluth Public Library and sent it to me. I was a lot younger then... and had a lot more hair. Enjoy this ghost from my past....

Writing for fun is my mantra...

I guess I've been doing lots of other writing but still have itchy fingers to get in a few more musings here on the blog soon. So please stay tuned...

In the meantime, I know some of you readers who love Duluth and and its history surely must be linking to the new Zenith City Online. It's chock full of Duluth information and history. As you know, I've been writing a monthly column on that web site site as well as my in-print Duluth Superior Magazine columns–and some on-line writing with DSM as well.

I get a lot of comments from readers who grew up in Duluth or have Duluth connections. So hopefully if you're one of those readers, you've linked onto my Denfeld Boy (the moniker ZCO uses for the collection of my writings that focus on growing up in the shadow of Denfeld High School). Click HERE to check out those writings. This months' writing is titled "When Presidents Passed Through the West End." The recent columns are: "Cruisn' Duluth's last Drive-in;" "Lincoln Park, a magical playground and natural wonder;" "West End barber combined religion and grooming;" "West End churches represented many Christian faiths;" and "Where East was East and West was West."

And... while I'm at it, don't forget I still have that book–with a collection of my newspaper columns–for sale on-line and in area bookstores. The holidays are around the corner, I've heard. I've been told it's a great bathroom book or bedside book, a narrative a night etc. Oh yeah, the book is titled, "Cooler Near the Lake." Yup, shameless hawking by me!

Denfeld Boy celebrates 55th reunion...

Golly, it's been 55 years–last June 6–since I graduated from Duluth Denfeld High School. We ended a big three-day extravaganza on Sunday at  dear old Denfeld itself, where we had breakfast, toured the new additions (and walked the hallowed halls of the old) and ended with a photo shoot with those classmates attending that Sunday breakfast. I though you'd get a kick out of the photo of us surrounding the vintage '57 Chev owned by classmate, Walt Pietrowski. That's Walt in the car sitting next to classmate, Pat Nading Cohen. My boyhood friend, Larry Monson, is seen on the right wearing his old Regents Car Club jacket. He gave the jacket to Walt years ago and Walt keeps it for such occasions. Guess we are a vintage bunch. Happy 55th Duluth Denfeld Class of '57!

By the way, if you're a vintage Denfeld graduate, check out our new class web site for photos of the reunion. We're just in the process of reconstructing our web site as the old one was hijacked. You can check it out HERE.

Denfeld Boy in Zenith City...

Some of you with roots in Duluth and area have been enjoying Tony Dierckins' newly launched web magazine called Zenith City Online.  Just in case you've missed it, you can catch it  HERE. There is something interesting posted daily for all of you folks who enjoy looking back at our area's history. As you know, I've been writing a monthly column for this new site as "Denfeld Boy," Yup, you guessed it, I've written about my memories growing up in the West End/Western Duluth. If you'd like to read those memory posts, check out this link HERE.