Now, you can read these inspiring, funny, nostalgic and hopeful stories at Lakewood Online.
You’ll also find more of the essays collected from students in Lakewood schools through the companion program called The Write Stuff. More than 300 student essays have been submitted, with more to come.
See the main essay archive at the bottom of the Write Stuff main page.
Lakewood residents were invited in 2003 to share their memories of their community in a pre-anniversary program called Take Your Place in History. Their essays, collected with the generous help of the Macerich Company (owners of Lakewood Center), are online now as part of the city’s celebration of its 50th anniversary of incorporation.
The authors of these essays come from all walks of life. Some are original homeowners. Some only recently moved to Lakewood. We hope that sharing their unedited, heartfelt stories will remind you of the reasons why Lakewood is the kind of community that has earned 50 years of residents’ loyalty.
Student essays were published through The Write Stuff program.
Personal stories, and even poems about Lakewood, were the product of two programs. Both adults and younger writers provided a window into the everyday life of their community in stories about moving to Lakewood when the neighborhoods were new . . . stories about the achievements that came with a maturing city . . stories about the men and women, boys and girls, and grandparents who struggled to make a new community . . . and stories about the struggles of today's kids to make Lakewood their hometown.
The following link will take you to our main 'Lakewood stories' page. At the bottom of that page you will find an expanding archive of essays.
See the main essay archive at the bottom of the Write Stuff main page.
NOTE: You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the archives. There is a link in the archives to download the reader.
Take Your Place in History
These include essays received as typed or handwritten hard copy and those sent electronically. The three archives that have titles showing A-I, J-Q, and R-Z must be opened and viewed to find a particular essay. The essays are arranged alphabetically by last name.
The authors who submitted their essay electronically are listed in the 'Indexed by author' archive. This archive can be opened and searched in Acrobat Reader using the "binocular" button.
The Write Stuff
These are indexed by school. Within each school index, the essays are arranged by grade and author’s last name.
