Graydon Pool Lifeguards

       My pal Kurt created a page on Facebook dedicated to lifeguards who worked at Graydon Pool. Kurt is from the old school of lifeguards, when there were thousands more badge holders than today, before there was an iron fence ringing the pool, and when the guards, in particular his father, knew it was ultimately up to them to maintain order at the pool.

      To say it was different in the 1960s and 1970s than it is today would be an understatement. Back then swimming pools were a novelty, as was central air conditioning, so you had to go to Graydon Pool or the Jersey shore to cool off. "The Pool" or simply "Graydon" was a commons in the traditional sense of the word. It was an environment we all shared in Ridgewood, that no one owned but everyone could enjoy. Graydon was held in trust, and still is, for the current generation as well as future ones. By the very nature of its wide open layout and the fact it was a shared resource it helped promote the idea that we are all part of the same community.

       I'm currently not sure if we can get this shared feeling for Graydon back, even if they construct a concrete bottom for the pool and figure out a way to make it pay for itself. It's not that we don't need a commons any longer. We will always need symbols which promote aspects of our cultural heritage in order to help secure our mutual cooperation in the long-term. The problem here as I see it is we simply don't use Graydon to communicate among ourselves the way we used to do it. We will need a solution which combines the best aspects of Graydon's past with a new purpose which the current generation will understand and thrive within. I believe it behooves us all to re-think the purpose of Graydon and find a way to maintain its central place in Ridgewood for this generation as well as future ones. Graydon Pool is now a beautiful symbol of a bygone era and it would be shame not to give it some deep reflection before we change it irreparably or close it all together.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ridgewood-Graydon-Guards/111923052178143?v=wall&ref=ts