Author Archives: Jim Merkel

Right before Growing Up St. Louis came out at the beginning of April of 2020, my publisher suggested I ought to do a Facebook group to match it. Okay, I groaned to myself, thinking that was one more thing to do as I sold the book. Amazingly, the group called Growing Up St. Louis –Continue reading “My Facebook Group About St. Louis Kids”

If you’re still looking for that perfect gift, your answer might be Growing Up St. Louis or one of my other books. They all provide a special look at the people and history of the Gateway City that everybody on your list will love. On Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 5 and 6, you’ll have aContinue reading “Give the Gift of St. Louis”

In the first of a new series of interviews with people I interviewed, Annemarie Nauert talks about her ideal childhood and what it means to her today. To buy Growing Up St. Louis: Looking Back , click here https://merkels-books-and-things.square.site/.

As administrator of the Growing Up St. Louis Facebook Group. I’ve found hundreds of pictures of kids from St. Louis. Other members have added an untold number. I hope you’ve enjoyed them. If you have, I think you’ll also enjoy my book Growing Up St. Louis: Looking Back Through the Decades. It contains childhood storiesContinue reading “Another Look at Growing Up”

This memory, from page 43 of my book, Growing Up St. Louis: Looking Back Through the Decades, is especially to me. Sidney Duerr, the kid in the front, is my uncle. He was born in 1927 and died not long ago at the age of 91. He’s pulling his younger brother, my Uncle Donald Duerr.Continue reading “When the Hardware Store Closed”

This memory, from page 43 of my book, Growing Up St. Louis: Looking Back Through the Decades, is especially to me. Sidney Duerr, the kid in the front, is my uncle. He was born in 1927 and died not long ago at the age of 91. He’s pulling his younger brother, my Uncle Donald Duerr.Continue reading “After the Hardware Store Closed”

We lived right at Oakland and Kingshighway on Arco Avenue, right behind St. Louis University High School. The Depression was hard because money was very tight, and we were pretty poor. A lot of men wanted odd jobs around the house, and my mother would give them a sandwich or something. We always had aContinue reading “A Sandwich for Lunch”

I was a sophomore at McBride, The teacher was called out to the principal’s office and when he came back,he told us all to be quiet. He said President Kennedy is dead, and we were of course just stunned. We were all sent home, and I can remember riding a bus down Kingshighway Boulevard andContinue reading “The Death of Kennedy”

This story of Susan (Waskow) Shaw’s (born 1967) pain in the stomach is on page 118 of Growing Up St. Louis: Looking Back Through the Decades. It was probably in fourth grade. I never told anyone I was sick, because I didn’t want to miss school. I had been sick for about two days, butContinue reading “Ouch!”

Like millions in her generation, Linda (Seiferth) Gurney fell in love with the Beatles when she first saw them on The Ed Sullivan Show. Here is her story, from page 95 of Growing Up St. Louis: Looking Back Through the Decades. I grew up in University City. I’m a professional musician and started learning music very, veryContinue reading “First Love With The Fab Four”