Sweetheart Corner, North Syracuse, NY

As my life transitions to that of a student, instead of just a worker bee, I find myself remembering those long ago days...

One of the hardest and not hardest things I did while a student at Oswego, was my Broadcast Internship.

I was on my way out of town, about to fly down to Long Island and I dropped off my rental car right outside Hancock Field, in an area called North Syracuse.

I had an hour or so to kill, so I decided to try to find the school where I used to intern. It was known at that time as North Syracuse High School.

When I did some research, many months earlier, I found out that the school had been converted to a Junior High, shortly after I had been there. So, not only am I going on hazy memories that are 35 years old, the school isn't even the same one!

I sort of remember a street named Taft Road and it has a Rite Aid right at the corner. I decide to park there and take a few photos of the school right across the street.

I am pretty sure that this is the school.

I don't remember so many buildings, when I went there, but seriously, how many schools are a block away from the main road that I would have traveled on.

So after looking at it a few minutes, I go back to my car, which I had left in the Rite Aid parking lot and I eat my dinner. While I am doing so, I notice there is a sign at the corner that says Sweetheart Corner. OMG! The memory is 35 years old, but I remember getting directions to the school and being told to get off the bus at Sweetheart Corner!

I definitely know though that there was not a Rite Aid there at the time I was coming and as I just found out, it was a business called the Sweetheart Market. It also was replaced, shortly after I went to that area of the world. I am totally glad that Rite Aid kept the sign, because it really is a great memory.

Back to why I was there in the first place.

My Intership was supposed to be me going out and shooting women's sports. It was the time when Title IX came into being, so I was to make a video on the subject. Well, they really didn't have the equipment for me to use and so instead, what I ended up doing each time I went, was that I recorded instructional programming to be played back in class rooms around the district. I remember one of the shows was called Cover To Cover (obviously about reading).

Several years and 3,000 miles later, KCET used to air a RETAC (Instructional) show called The Best of Cover To Cover. I laughed, every time I thought of those days and how little things had changed in the 4 years since I had done that Internship.

My Internship was at the height of winter, January to May. Think of the snow drifts!
I would walk from West 8th Street all the way to West 2nd Street before the sun came up, to catch a bus to Syracuse. We would go down to S. Salina Street, where I would then wait for the local bus to North Syracuse. Ride up Route 11, until I got to Sweetheart Corner and walk to the School. In the afternoon, I did the whole thing in reverse.

To say the least, it was an interesting experience and it also hinted at my future career...so I guess Doc O'Donnell knew what he was doing. :-)