Facebook Page Walks Miami Natives Down Memory Lane

Above: The Good Year Blimp was based on Watson Island for five decades

The longer I live in Miami, the more I realize there aren’t many born-and-raised natives around anymore.

But that was before I came across a Facebook page called I Grew Up in South Florida in the 60’s 70’s and 80’s, which proves there are still quite a number of us old-schoolers around.

Many going back further than me (And I go back decades).

The site was launched in April by Matthew Leibowitz and has amassed 4,620 followers, growing at a rate of 600 new followers a week.

It is constant stream of old pictures, memorabilia and news clips from South Florida that will stir your memory if you grew up down here during those years.

More than 2,500 pictures

Above: A Miami police officer stands guard during the 1980 Liberty City riot

Old pictures of the 1980 Liberty City riot. Bumper stickers from long deceased radio stations. Even a recipe for the famous beer-steamed hot dogs from Lum’s, which were everywhere during the 1970s.

Currently, ten administrators run the page, but it’s mostly Leibowitz and Clyde Jewett doing the posting.

Leibowitz, 43, grew up between North Miami Beach and Miramar, is a relative newcomer to South Florida compared to the other administrators. He arrived from New York in 1978.

About three years ago, he launched a Facebook dedicated to gathering Miramar memorabilia, reaching 1,700 followers during that time.

But as he kept gathering memorabilia, he had enough material to encompass all of South Florida.

Today, the South Florida page has amassed more than 2,500 pictures.

The Seasonal Side of Miami

Above: The Bon-Aire Motel on Miami Beach in 1957

Alvin Lederer, who has been collecting South Florida memorabilia for 18 years, became an administrator a few months ago.

He graduated from North Miami High in 1976 and remembers a very seasonal Miami.

“I remember when nobody worked a whole year in Miami,” he said from his current home in Leesburg, Florida.

“In Miami, you only worked six months a year and made enough money from the tourists to last throughout the year.”

The Cuban side of Miami

Above: Little Havana during the 1970s

Jewett, who was born in Miami to a Cuban father and a Miami-born mother, remembers the Cuban side of Miami, going out with his family to Versailles, Miami’s most famous Cuban restaurant.

This is how he described it in a Facebook message.

“(I remember) going to Versailles Restaurant in second grade and ordering a cheeseburger. Drove my parents crazy. I refused to eat Cuban food outside the house because that is all my aubela cooked.

I had ropa veijo and potaje coming out of my ears. I also remember my father’s family talking about Cuba and the land and money they lost.

My uncle Robert Fuller was a big topic of conversation as he was executed in Cuba on October 13, 1960. He had assembled a team and tried to take back American-owned property in Cuba. They failed. Many a drink
and toast were done in his honor during family gatherings.”

The Jewish side of Miami

Above: Pumpernick’s was a popular Jewish deli

And administrator Jeffrey Alman, who grew up in what is now Pinecrest, remembers the Jewish side of Miami.

By the time we got here (late 50s) Miami and Miami Beach were all about the Jews - and the Jews were all about the food. Gone were the days of restriction and exclusivity (for the most part) We used to laugh at Jackie Mason’s joke that Jews are the only people that will sit at lunch and discuss what’s for dinner. Wolfies (several locations), Rascal House (Sunny Isles aka Motel Row), Pumpernicks (several locations), Corkys (NMB), Juniors (several locations). From South Beach to Miracle Mile (Chippys) to South Miami (Sam and Carl’s, Marshall Major’s) to North Miami Beach if you were Jewish in Miami in the 60s the food was awesome.

Baskets of the most beautiful rolls came to the table - onion pockets, pumpernickle onion pockets, salt sticks, mini onion rye - (at breakfast add danish (prune and cheese) cakes) accompanied by bowls of cole slaw, pickles, green tomatoes, cucumber salad - all before the order was even placed! In those days, there was so much food that you were literally full before your meal came! I fondly remember doggie bags of rolls, left over untouched corned beef sandwiches on rye with mustard only, 100s of roasted chickens - there were always great leftovers in the fridge back then. That’s what I remember the most - the abundance of fabulous Jewish-style food!

Above: The National Guard were also called in during the 1980 Liberty City riot

Above: The best donuts in Miami

Above: Miami quarterback Bob Griese, Don Shula and back-up quarterback George Mira in the early 1970s

Above: Miami-Dade Junior College, which is now Miami-Dade College, in downtown Miami in 1963

Above: WSHE, “She’s Only Rock N Roll”

Related Links: • The Arthur McDuffie Riots of 1980 • Fleeing Cuba For a Better Life in USA • The Jewish Impact on Miami Beach Related Categories: Miami: Local News, Carlos Miller is a featured writer at Miami Beach 411. He also operates Photography is Not a Crime, a blog about photographer rights, New Media and First Amendment issues. See more articles by Carlos Miller. See more articles by Carlos Miller Was This Post Helpful? Please Share It With Others! Tweet

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