Simple pleasures provided lots of fun for young Buster Gilman in the 1930s. Contributed / Lloyd “Buster” Gilman

Buster Gilman was 5 years old in 1938. His mother, Alice, was a hardworking housewife and his father, Lloyd “Gillie” Gilman, worked at Windham Town Hall. He had older siblings from his parents’ previous marriages, but they were much older than he, in their teens and early 20s. He had no video games or television to keep him occupied during his summer days back then, so what did Buster do?

According to his mother’s diary, Buster enjoyed spending time outside. Considering his childhood was spent during the Great Depression, it is doubtful the family could afford to send him to camp, so it is likely he primarily relied on his imagination when playing outside on warm summer days. Imagine the delight he must have felt when his big brother Richard sent him a sword and shield from a port of call he visited while in the military service. Buster could have become King Arthur or a Roman gladiator. Maybe he dropped the shield and pretended to be a pirate sailing the Caribbean Sea. Whatever fantasies his imagination could conjure up would have kept him busy for hours.

If I recall correctly, Buster received a bicycle for his birthday. That must have been a real treat. Being so young, his travel was probably limited, but just peddling around the yard on his very own bike must have made him very happy and proud.

Buster’s older brother Stan was an avid fisherman and on the days when he invited his little brother along, it must have been a time of great excitement for Buster. He could well have learned to swim on those fishing trips, but even just wiggling his toes in the cool Maine water would have brought him great joy.

On Sunday mornings, it is probable that Gillie would read his son the “Funny Papers” where he’d hear stories about detective Dick Tracy or Little Orphan Annie, or they might take a trip to outer space with Flash Gordon.

Windham resident Buster Gilman is pictured at 90 years old. Today he’s 91. Haley Pal / For Lakes Region Weekly

Evenings were often family time during the Great Depression. Most people owned a radio and it was not uncommon for the whole household to cluster near it for the latest news and entertainment programs. Some favorites of the time were the comedy duo of Abbott and Costello, mystery classics like “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” or Ellery Queen, or the family could enjoy a little drama as they listened to “Bell Telephone Hour.” Buster may have enjoyed ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his wisecracking dummy Charlie McCarthy while his older siblings preferred the humor of Bob Hope or the stories of Orson Welles. Gillie and Alice probably kept up with the world listening to the famous newsmen Lowell Thomas and Walter Winchell.

During warmer months, if one of Alice’s friends came calling, she would probably have brought her children along. While the ladies were sipping on cold iced tea or lemonade, the children could find plenty of simple things to do. Popular pastimes they could engage in were baseball, marbles, jump rope, hide and seek, and hopscotch. Wagons and scooters were also perfect for outside play.

On Sunday afternoons, Gillie, Alice and Buster were most likely off for a ride in the country to pass the time. Maybe they would stop for an ice cream cone on the way home. Gillie and Alice would sometimes make a stop at a local eatery and enjoy a meal of fried clams.

If it were a good week, a trip to the movies may have been in order. Perhaps Buster favored Shirley Temple or he may have preferred watching the cartoons of Walt Disney. He had a puppy he bought and paid for himself a few years later and he named his puppy Mickey, so I’m guessing he was a fan of a certain mouse.

Haley Pal, a Windham resident and active member of the Windham Historical Society, can be contacted at haleypal@aol.com.

In some ways, his life was different than that of children today, but in many ways, things remain the same. Children still enjoy simple games and simple pleasures. Sometimes, an afternoon catching “spooks” in your best friend’s basement is as much fun as the most expensive video game on the market. Kids then and kids today are simply kids. Let their imaginations run free and like Buster, they will never forget the wonderful days of childhood in good old Windham, Maine.

Buster Gilman is 91 years old this year. He recently took a spill and has been in the hospital. If anyone would like to send him a card to cheer him up, you can send the cards to Penny Loura, curator, Windham Historical Society, P.O. Box 1475, Windham, ME 04062.