The Early Years

Waukegan Skyline

     I was born and raised in Waukegan, Illinois, a small city of about 65,000 people (now about 92,000).  Waukegan is in the northeast corner of the state right on Lake Michigan.

     It was a great place to grow up in, back in my time, the 40's and 50's.  We could leave our doors unlocked and we could walk any place without the fear of being kidnapped, mugged or shot.  And we did.  We walked to school, to the park, to our friends houses and to the show (movie theater) downtown.  We rode bikes, roller skated, ice skated and played games like, hopscotch, tag, kick the can, hide and seek and red rover.

Linda Diane Wallis  6 months old 1941

     I was born in April of 1941 and, as my mother told me, had teeth by 3 months and could walk at 9 months.  (I was already in a hurry to get somewhere).  I was potty trained by the time I had my first birthday.  Mom's motto "If you can walk, then you can do without the diaper."

     I remember very little of those early years.  I started remembering some things after we moved into my grandpa Wallis's house at 621 Chestnut Street.  That was sometime in 1942.  Before that we shared a house with my grandma Christiansen at 33 S. Butrick Street.  Then, sometime during the war, my grandma came to live with us on Chestnut Street.  In those days, it wasn't unusual for families to live together, even if it was my Dad's dad and my Mom's mom.  The Chestnut Street house only had 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. It must have been crowded. 

Linda Wallis, 33 S. Butrick St. 1941

     This is the house we lived in in 1941, with my Grandma Christiansen and my Great Aunt Vivian.  In 1942 we moved to 621 Chestnut Street to take care of my Grandpa Wallis.

Vincent Wallis, 621 Chestnut St. Waukegan, Il

     This is what the house looked like in 1942 when we came to stay with my grandpa.