64. BACK-TO-SCHOOL? BACK TO YESTERDAY'S SCHOOL SUPPLIES!

PRODUCT LINES OF H.G. HENARES &  SONS as of 1961.

As a new schoolyear begins, the hunt is on for new school supplies needed by students to get through another year of learning, experimenting, solving problems and making reports. In the 50s, there were already established stores that carried school supplies from leading distributors and manufacturers. H. G. Henares & Sons, Inc. was one such enterprise, established by Hilarion Henares Sr. back in 1939. By 1961, it operated an industrial complex that manufactured  crayons, school chalks, water color, erasers, paste and other school supplies. It held the exclusive license to manufacture the famous Gold Medal Crayola brand of crayons (1953), Old Town Carbon Paper and Typewriter Ribbons (1955) and Parker Quink Ink (1956).

CORONA SUPPLY, Print Ad, 1955

Meanwhile, student so mathematics, geometry and engineering can get their compasses, protractors, rulers and triangles from Corona Supply Co., established way back in 1920. It was known for its imported school and office supplies carrying name brands like Staetler and Faber Castell.

CASTELL SLIDE RULE, Print Ad, 1959

 The best-selling product among students of engineering were the Castell Slide Rules--used for trigonometric functions mostly---and now an extinct educational tool replaced by new and powerful calculators.

VASQUEZ BROS.&CO. INC. Print Ad, 1955

Aside from Corona, Vasquez Bros. was another happy hunting ground for school supplies and educational materials. It had branches in Recto, Sta. Cruz and Quiapo and was just as well-known as Goodwill and National Book Store in those days.

MONGOL PENCIL, Print Ad, 1964

No one got through school without a pencil--the basic instrument for writing. And when one mentions pencils, the top-of-mind brand is undoubtedly, Mongol. The pencil was an original product of Eberhard Faber, a pencil factory in Germany. As mentioned, Henares & Sons acquired the license to manufacture the world-renowned pencils, until Amalgamated Specialties Corp. took over. Today, Mongol Pencils--the most popular brand patronized by Filipino students--are manufactured in China.

OLD TOWN CARBON PAPER, Print Ad, 1965

For making duplicates of book reports and theses, Old Town Carbon Paper was indispensable--it made copies fast, without smudges and blurs. Like Mongol, it was manufactured by Amspec,

PARKER QUINK INK, Print Ad, 1957

Time was when the use of fountain pens was limited to students of means and to elite private schools. The ink of choice was the revolutionary Quink made by Parker Pen Company. Unlike other water inks, it was alcohol-based so it dried by absorption, rather than evaporation.  A washable version--perfect for messy students--was introduced in 1957.

 Remember, it really doesn't matter whether your school supplies were bought from Divisoria or from National Book Store. What matters more is acquiring an education so that you become a better version of yourself!