Indy Doctor Writes Memoir About Growing Up In Warsaw
May 20, 2020 at 6:16 p.m.
By Jackie Gorski-
“A Time of Innocence: A Punderful Memoir of Childhood” is written by Dr. William R. Van Osdol.
Van Osdol, according to his book, was born in Warsaw and grew up in the area. He then attended the University of Notre Dame and Indiana Medical School. He practiced pediatrics in Indianapolis at the HealthNet community health center network for 43 years.
Van Osdol’s book follows him growing up in the Warsaw area in the 1940s and 1950s, having been born during World War II, from birth until high school. The 53-chapter book covers topics like church, having gone to Sacred Heart Catholic Church, talking about going to church every week with the family getting dressed up in his Sunday finest and the women in the family wearing hats, scarfs or veils to church.
However, a memoir about growing up in Indiana isn’t complete without information about basketball. And Van Osdol did that, dedicating an entire chapter to the topic. Van Osdol talked to everything from Warsaw basketball up to professional teams. Whitey Bell, “Warsaw’s most famous basketball player,” was mentioned, as well as the Baker’s Boys Club, which met in the gym at the high school.
Basketball wasn’t the only sport mentioned, as Van Osdol recalled in his book about going to Wrigley Field in Chicago to watch the Cubs play.
As someone still relatively new to the area, I found the little tidbits Van Osdol put into his book about Warsaw and Kosciusko County history, geography and culture interesting. I just wish there was more. Some of the things he mentioned was author Lloyd C. Douglas, who wrote “Magnificent Obsession,” was born in Columbia City. “Magnificent Obsession” was made into a movie with Rock Hudson.
Van Osdol also talked about going to movie theaters he went to while growing up, including the Warsaw Drive-In. I had to look this up. Warsaw Drive-In was opened prior to 1955 and demolished in 2000 to make way for a housing development, according to cinematreasures.org.
Not all the businesses Van Osdol mentioned are no longer here as some businesses that are still around got a mention in “A Time of Innocence,” including Penguin Point, which was established in the 1950s and has several locations in Warsaw.
If you like puns, you will like this book, as it lives up to its name as most chapters have at least several puns in them, which include such puns as “The black coal dust in our basement just didn’t soot me. I could make even more puns about our basement, but that would be beneath me.” And “But there must not have been any bears there anymore, because when we were driving down the road to get there, we saw a fork in the road and a sign that said ‘Bear Left.’”
For someone who is interested in Warsaw and Kosciusko County history, this is a good start.
“A Time of Innocence: a Punderful Memoir of Childhood,” a 373-paged and independently published book, can be found on Amazon for $19.95.
My recommendation (out of 4): 3.6.
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“A Time of Innocence: A Punderful Memoir of Childhood” is written by Dr. William R. Van Osdol.
Van Osdol, according to his book, was born in Warsaw and grew up in the area. He then attended the University of Notre Dame and Indiana Medical School. He practiced pediatrics in Indianapolis at the HealthNet community health center network for 43 years.
Van Osdol’s book follows him growing up in the Warsaw area in the 1940s and 1950s, having been born during World War II, from birth until high school. The 53-chapter book covers topics like church, having gone to Sacred Heart Catholic Church, talking about going to church every week with the family getting dressed up in his Sunday finest and the women in the family wearing hats, scarfs or veils to church.
However, a memoir about growing up in Indiana isn’t complete without information about basketball. And Van Osdol did that, dedicating an entire chapter to the topic. Van Osdol talked to everything from Warsaw basketball up to professional teams. Whitey Bell, “Warsaw’s most famous basketball player,” was mentioned, as well as the Baker’s Boys Club, which met in the gym at the high school.
Basketball wasn’t the only sport mentioned, as Van Osdol recalled in his book about going to Wrigley Field in Chicago to watch the Cubs play.
As someone still relatively new to the area, I found the little tidbits Van Osdol put into his book about Warsaw and Kosciusko County history, geography and culture interesting. I just wish there was more. Some of the things he mentioned was author Lloyd C. Douglas, who wrote “Magnificent Obsession,” was born in Columbia City. “Magnificent Obsession” was made into a movie with Rock Hudson.
Van Osdol also talked about going to movie theaters he went to while growing up, including the Warsaw Drive-In. I had to look this up. Warsaw Drive-In was opened prior to 1955 and demolished in 2000 to make way for a housing development, according to cinematreasures.org.
Not all the businesses Van Osdol mentioned are no longer here as some businesses that are still around got a mention in “A Time of Innocence,” including Penguin Point, which was established in the 1950s and has several locations in Warsaw.
If you like puns, you will like this book, as it lives up to its name as most chapters have at least several puns in them, which include such puns as “The black coal dust in our basement just didn’t soot me. I could make even more puns about our basement, but that would be beneath me.” And “But there must not have been any bears there anymore, because when we were driving down the road to get there, we saw a fork in the road and a sign that said ‘Bear Left.’”
For someone who is interested in Warsaw and Kosciusko County history, this is a good start.
“A Time of Innocence: a Punderful Memoir of Childhood,” a 373-paged and independently published book, can be found on Amazon for $19.95.
My recommendation (out of 4): 3.6.
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