I Hope My Great-Great-Grandchildren See the Gary I Knew

For Muriel Hanks, 85, growing up in Gary, Indiana, was one of the best and most unique experiences that you could have. From the movies to the shopping area to downtown, Gary was a prosperous city — until people started to leave and forget it. 

This account has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Back in my day, Gary was popping!

There was always something to do, even if Gary was a bit prejudiced when I graduated from Roosevelt in 1959. We didn’t go to Miller or certain places because we weren’t welcomed as much. But that didn’t stop us.

We had the Midtown area, from 15th and Broadway to the Gleason Park area, and we had everything we needed.

There were banking, post offices, grocery stores, clothes stores, parks, and recreation —whatever you could name, we had it.

Of course, we could go downtown, which was an adventure because of all the big stores like Goldblatt’s and Sears, but we didn’t have to go that far.

Being an older sibling, I’d have to take my little brother and his friends out, and it was one of my favorite memories.

We would be good all week: Make sure your work is done, go to church, and then you could go to the movies with your friends.

Living on the 2300 block of Broadway allowed us to attend the local movie theater, the Roosevelt Theatre.

It didn’t cost a lot to go to the movies, but we’d find little hacks. Popcorn was cheaper at Sears than at the theater, so we’d stop there, get a small popcorn and candy to take with us.

There, they’d usually cater to your Black movies, but there were a variety of movies and shows we’d get to watch. With three to four boys, we’d watch Hopalong Cassidy and Flash Gordon and all kinds of movies like that.

That actually developed my love for Westerns that I have now, thanks to dragging those little boys around and sitting through the shows with them. Sometimes we’d walk around afterward or catch a ride, as almost 10 blocks was a lot even for us kids.

It was those memories that carried me through adolescence and into adulthood because Gary always had something to offer us, and they created a community where we could just enjoy the city.

I moved away because I got married and wanted to experience what California had to offer. After [her husband’s] passing, I moved back home in 1998. I was shocked to see what had become of my hometown.

The sense of community that once existed here is now gone, and it needs to be restored to heal our city. I pray that my great-great-grandchildren will see the Gary I saw when I grew up.