Watches change as time marches on

The big clock that was located downtown on the Dollar Bank building brings back memories of more than a half century ago.

As an octogenarian, I have found that time has flown by very fast. Many friends and relatives are gone. The older I get, the more I notice it.

This brings a timely topic to mind, clock watching.

I have been trying to crowd as much living as possible into each waking hour of my life, whether it was my work or my hobbies. That may be the reason I have always been interested in timepieces, such as wrist and pocket watches.

I was even fascinated by the big clock that was located downtown on the Dollar Bank building. It brings back memories of more than a half century ago. As a World War II veteran, I was attending Youngstown College, now Youngstown State University, under the GI bill. I enjoyed walking downtown in all kinds of weather to catch the 2-Oak or 3-Lincoln bus back to my East Side home.

It kept the buses on time

That clock must have been the “Muny” bus drivers’ Big Ben, because the buses left right on their scheduled departure time. I could spot that clock as far back as the top of Wick Avenue and would either walk or run to the bus stop in the Square depending on what it said.

I don’t recall missing many bus trips home, even though the bus drivers waited for no one. Those buses were very crowded, to the point of bulging at the front doors. We were packed in like sardines.

Time pieces back then were critical to the engineers and conductors of the railroads. Today, we are surrounded by clocks, especially in our homes. Anniversary clocks in the living room, grandfather clocks in the dining room, alarm clocks in the bedroom, VCR clocks in the den and microwave clocks in the kitchen. Clocks in my car have always been important to me.

Recently my grandson, Patrick Krieger, said, “Grandpa, you don’t have to wear a watch anymore, because your cell phone is your watch.”

Timepieces may change, but seconds, minutes and hours remain the same, no matter how they are viewed.

X Michael J. Lacivita is a Youngstown retiree and an inductee into the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame and the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.