Eldon & Irene Portraits

Found some great couples' portraits of Eldon and Irene here. Not sure if any couples do this anymore but I'm thinking we should because I love looking at them. There's something about the style of photography, hair, makeup and fashion that, being trapped in time in one of these photos, becomes so fascinating to review decades later.

Christmas 1985

1995

No date on this one but I'd love
for someone to venture a guess.
I'd says late 1960's???

No portrait on this one, either. Thinking '79
or '80's. No family made it through
the '80's without an Olan Mills portrait.

Minneapolis 1945-1949

This section is entitled "Minneapolis 1945-1949" because all of the pictures in it were found in a manilla envelope with the same title written on it in black marker. The dates seem mostly accurate but see the captions below for more accurate details found written on the back of the photos themselves.

Irene & Eldon
"44"

Feb "53"
Gay, Steve Mary Jo, Mom

No caption on this one but I love the outfits. Especially
Eldon's wide tie and high-waisted pants.

Stephen 3yrs
Daddy and
Gay 4 mos.

I enjoy everyone's contemplative
facial expressions.

No caption.

Writing on front reads: 1945 Irene & Eldon.
Dorothy Lohse
Back says: 1940 Chevy

Eldon - Irene
1942
Wichita, KS

Portraits

These photos show that Eldon was, indeed, a handsome man when he put on his finest and faced the camera.

On the back of this photo is text from two stamps:
JUL 3 1972
UNDERWOOD STUDIOS
901 McGEE STREET
KANSAS CITY, MO. 64106
(That's downtown Kansas City, but the studio is no
longer there.)

That's a good looking baby boy. Notice how the penciled-in handwriting
has his name spelled Elden instead of Eldon. I wonder who wrote it.
Also interesting is that this is actually a post card. On the back is a place for
a stamp and the same text is penciled in: Elden. Dale. age 7. months,
Born Sep 20th 1920.
Oddly, there are 3 of this print and one of the others has his first name
spelled correctly, with 1921 written on it. 

Maybe his best photo. And look at the waves in his hair!
On the back it looks like 6/63 is written but I have a hard time believing that is
indicative of the date this was taken. He would have been 43 in '63 and I think
he looks younger than that in this picture.

There are several of these prints, which are from his church confirmation. On the back
of the biggest print is written:
Alma Skyline
Eldon Gladow
Confirmation
Alma Lutheran

As you can tell, this portrait is mounted in an

olive green cardboard case with protective flaps

that fold out vertically, revealing this portrait inside.

There are several of this print, too, but I found one with
handwriting on it (above).

Here's the back. I can clearly read:
mail to Mrs. Eldon Gladow
6841 Portland
Minneapolis,
Minn.
(line)
...and then I can't read the rest. Can you? 

Candid: Living Life to the Fullest

A collection of shots of Eldon in his daily life.

October, 1971 - Lutheran Golf League. No doubt he terrorized and
dominated Lutherans everywhere he lived in both this sport and bowling.

Great action shot. Left arm nice and straight.
I'd hate to be that ball...

Eldon had a knack for finding cars that were a good value but had
a certain level of attractiveness, too. This, too, is the only picture I've
found in which he's smoking one of his pipes. He kicked smoking
cold turkey before I was born.

60th birthday, 9/20/80
Gastons Resort - Lakeview, Arkansas.
The staff gathered 'round to sing Happy Birthday.
The print is a classic old Polaroid.

George Cady on the left and Eldon on the right. July 1985.
What a haul! I believe they're bass.

Nothing written on the back of this print, however, the woman looks
very much like my dad, Richard Newkirk's, mom Norma Newkirk.
I'm guessing this was taken at my parents' wedding.
(Mom and Dad, can you confirm?)

Writing on the back of this print reads:
E. Gladow
Kentucky tobacco
Aug - '46

(Nothing written on this print. The fish speak for themselves.)

Nothing written on this one, either, but I'm
absolutely mesmerized by it. The blurriness, in
combination with the fact that he's dressed in a
nice suit, walking down a busy street in what looks
like a big city has my mind racing as to where he
may have been and what he would have been doing.

College (KSU) graduation, I presume, but nothing
is written on this print.

Writing on the back reads:
9-75
Lake Superior

 Now we come to a funny little booklet of three photos of Eldon, stapled together, with a fancy cut around the outsides of the prints. Each of the photos has "Eldon in Tex." written on the back. I believe my mother was born when the family lived in Texas, so perhaps she can add context to this (Mom??).

Looks totally different in this picture. Strange. 

Love the raised eyebrow here. 

That's a box of kettle corn he's looking at, and perched on the deck rail
is, I presume, the kettle. This appears to be on the deck of Eldon and
Irene's house in Gladstone, MO, though it must have been early on
because now there is a whole neighborhood where this picture
shows trees in the background.

On the back is written: Eldon "70".
"70" must signify 1970, not 70 years of age. 

Nice cursive handwriting on the back of this one reads: Eldon sharpens
his knife on grindstone using water power at Moose Pass. A quick
Google search leads me to believe, then, that this was taken in Alaska.

Handwriting on the back of this one is difficult
to read. My best guess is:
1990 H.C. Sr Picnic.
Anyone know what H.C. may have stood for?

'86 written on the back.
This is Eldon in his chair in the living room of his house in Gladstone.
That candy jar on his left was always filled with licorice-flavored candies
that nobody ate but him. Here he models a blue cable-knit v-neck sweater,
likely a birthday (September) or Christmas gift. He was always a well-
dressed man.

Work & School

Work and school are two things I have the distinct impression Eldon took seriously and at which he excelled. His house was filled with General Mills memorabilia, including awards and items given to him when he retired.

Eldon with Sam Cunningham of the New England Patriots.
Back of photo reads:
Jan 1974 NFL Rookies of the Year
Wheaties Sponsored

If you look closely you can see a hand-drawn arrow pointing down
back at the furthest point from the camera. Writing on the back reads:
Eldon with the Sears Scholars
KSU 1938.

...And here's the certificate he was given for his impressive scholarship.
Notice that it's Kansas State College, not University.

I'm assuming this is a group of peers at General Mills.

General Mills again, I'm guessing, though not totally sure.
How embarrassing for the gentleman on the left to have been left
off the memo that light blue was to be worn for this photo.

Again, guessing General Mills.

The back of this photo reads: KSC-1940. Dick Curtis, Val Combs,
Harold Skalla, Jerry Ingraham, Bill Lewis, Perry Emmons, Ed Schoen.
Eldon is front and cetner, sleeves rolled up and arms behind his back.
The sign on the post on the right says ROOMS FOR BOYS.

Buddies

Looking at his photos, it was clear that Eldon was well-liked and enjoyed his time with his buddies.

I didn't know who these gents were until I found the third 

photo in the stack. The one just above. Whoever wrote on the 

back of it was also a little fuzzy, too, because although it's labeled, 

no one is written in for #1. The back reads as follows:

(blank)

Eldon Gladow

Chas. Carey

Othal Young

Withita

park 1944

Writing on the back reads:

Bob Smith

E. Gladow

M. Buckman

D. Rooney

Innisbrook, Fla

Minnie Bock/Frederich Gladow Family Portraits

Gladows Approx 1888

The back of this photo, from left to right, starting at the top, reads:
Anna Nelson, Emelia Nye, Father Frederich, Minnie Berndt, Mother Ernestine, Ida Schroth.
Henry, Fred, Otto, Charles, Ernest, Wm

Bocks, About 1910

The back of this photo, from left to right, starting at the top, reads:
Ed, Lena, Minnie
O Tillie, Gustav, Gustav Jr., Wilhelmina, Hulda