Eastlake Celebrates Its Seniors--Chester Dull--June 2010

Being born December 10, 1929, in Altoona, PA gives Chester Dull legitimate bragging rights to be a Steelers football fan. He was the only child born to Chester and Helen (McCoy) Dull. After graduating from Altoona High School in 1947, he immediately entered the Navy as a seaman serving on an aircraft carrier called the USS Philipine Sea. Chester was fortunate to be serving between wars. He left the service in 1951, and married an Altoona girl named, Dolores Fredrick, on September 15, 1951. In 1952, the couple settled on Kenilworth Road in Eastlake, and have lived in the same house ever since. Chester described it as “country living.”

Lakeshore Boulevard used to be a brick road. When one got to Eastlake the road turned to dirt. When the couple moved in, there were many empty lots. But everyone seemed to like Eastlake and the city grew in leaps and bounds. Mrs. Dull seemed to think that people took pride in their properties and cared for them more then. Like anything, flowers and shrubs cost money and the economy is down.

Chester went to work in Willoughby for Victor R. Browning. The company made overhead cranes. He retired in 1992.

For a while Chester worked part time for the Eastlake Drive-In Theater. This was located on Vine Street next to K-Mart. He was an assistant manager under a man named Gene Walker. He helped to keep things under control. He would direct traffic, walk around during the movie to make sure people were not annoying and even help to jump start cars that wouldn’t start after the movie. I told him that such a theater still existed in Mayfield. They charge by the carload. He said that back then sometimes folks would try and enter by the “trunkload.” Trunks were made much larger then. Kids would try to get in free by hiding in the trunk. Once inside, they would exit and jump inside the car to watch the movie. Speakers were located outside of the car. People would roll their window partially up and hang the speaker on the window so that they could hear the movie. Many people would try to leave forgetting about the speaker and would pull them off their stand. Chester also tried to remind people to return the speakers properly.

Chester currently has a flat-screen TV mounted in his family room, a theater all of his own. He is a big sports fan and enjoys watching sports on the television.

Mr. and Mrs. Dull had four children: Lisa, Daniel, Rhonda and Joni. They all graduated from Eastlake North High School and moved on to their own lives in other cities. The Dulls have 18 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Many of these progenies have taken to playing soccer and the Dulls have enjoyed watching them. A few have played at the college level, and their granddaughter Courtney, was even an All American Soccer player.

For over a dozen years Chester coached some kind of baseball or softball. When the Fourth of July rolled around the family would walk down to the North High softball fields to watch the fireworks. Chester always felt that this was the best place to hold them. The family also spent many summer hours in their backyard pool.

Today, most of their free time is spent at the JFK Senior Citizen Center in the old Taft Elementary School building. They recommend participation to everyone. The center has workout equipment, serves hot lunches, helps citizens with their taxes, teaches crafts and ceramics, plays cards and bingo, takes members on traveling trips, has concerts and a number of other fun things. Laketran will even help you to get there. Chester and his wife enjoy going on the casino trips. When asked if the law change in Ohio concerning casinos would change this, he commented no. They like to go to different locations. Chester has taught line dancing, and helps in the serving of lunches.

This article is brought to you by the Eastlake Historical Society. If you are 80 years old or more and have lived in the City of Eastlake for at least 50 years, please contact us through Eastlake City Hall.

EASTLAKE CELEBRATES ITS SENIORS