Stories & Memories Growing Up in Tampa Florida

Memories from growing up in Tampa Florida.

I was born in Tampa 1961. Even though my father was stationed at Mac Dill AFB, I ended up being born at Tampa General Hospital because my father was AWOL at the time and so my mother refused to go to Mac Dill to have me unless he gave himself up, and so I was a military brat as they call it. I was the youngest of 6 and I have siblings that were born in Canada, Hawaii and Mississippi. We did a lot of moving and then my father stationed him self here permanetly when he retired in 1970. I love Tampa probably more so than my sisters and brothers as most have moved away.

Some of the days as a small child growing up here have been my greatest memories. For instance the Gasparilla Parade back when I was a child was far from what it is now. But that makes me realize how blessed we were then. As a child watching the parade, we got to sit on the the street curb, and there was plenty of it. Never had to worry if we wouldn't be able to see the floats. Not only did we get curb space but we also were able to bring blankets to sit on. Plenty of room. The pirates would throw the beads to individual groups or families with children and you barely had to worry about someone trying to take your beads as much as you do now. Or the pirate would just walk up to us and hand us beads.

Then there was school. I can still smell the class rooms from Ballast Point Elementary. The pencils, papers, and the smell coming from the lunch room in the mornings as the kitchen was cooking up our lunch for the day. I always liked our lunches. But there was a different feeling when going to school there. It wasn't one of the newer type schools. An older building and it just gave a really good feeling being in those class rooms. The auditorium felt huge to me then and and that was where I performed the only play I was ever in.

We seldom got a ride to school from mom or dad and walked almost every day from our grandparents home where we lived off of Interbay Boulevard. That was about 2 to 3 miles away. That alwasys helped to wake us up in the morning before class started. That also was how we would find stray dogs or kittens to bring home as they would follow us to or from school.

My aunt worked at Pinarama Bowling Lanes for many many years. I use to think she owned it but she didn't. But she and her husband did own and run the fishing pier at Ballast Point sometime around 1956 and for about 2 to 3 years they had it. We spent a lot of time at the pier. That was an outing for us.

There is a lot more to share, but too much to write here.
Just wanted to share this bit of South Tampa memories.

Thank you
Carolyn Camp