To the editor:

Enticing Jim Fox out of retirement to write a weekly article for the Suburban Journals is a home run. Those of us over 80 years young remember his columns in the Post-Dispatch, particularly his Reader's Advocate columns, in which he discussed readers' comments.

Reading his reminiscing of events past brings back many memories of downtown St. Louis when it was the center of the universe for all living in the metropolitan area before World War II.

It also was the days of the morning Globe-Democrat and the Star Times, plus corner news stands and men hawking newspapers on busy street corners to pedestrians and automobile drivers.

I can't help but wonder how many of my Greatest Generation gang remember the downtown St. Louis as I do:

Famous-Barr, Stix, Baer & Fuller, Nugents department stores, Lane Bryant, the Ambassador and Orpheum movie theaters, the Garrick and Grand burlesques, Hodges Chili Parlor, Miss Hullings, Mavrakos, the Arcade Building, Mercantile, Boatman's and First National banks.

Most have forgotten the St. Louis motorcycle cops who ruled the streets on their huge Harleys and the traffic cops who directed traffic by hand signals at busy downtown intersections, adding a bit of show with their antics.

One of the best memories is Christmas time when all the stores from Broadway to 12th would decorate their windows with toys and lights.

Those were the days.

Bill Bandle

Manchester