event I had to have someone (Bill) deliver. I would give the route up to a new kid in school (sorry can't remember his name) trouble is when the snow came it was obvious that he wasn't going to keep it. As a favor to Mr. Schubert I took it back and had it for several months. Mr. Lane an elderly fellow, had the route some time back, asked me to let him know if I was going to give it up, and that was all I needed. The Journal into the capable hands of Mr. Lane.
When one enters high school, if a parent does not accompany the student to school, the student generally picks the subjects he/she wants to take and registers for those and it's a done deal, right? Well yes, in most cases, however in mine it seems that Mrs. Moran (yes from grade school) and Mr. Cox (same place) had suggested that I was well suited for the harder subjects and should not take any of the so-called dumb-bell subjects (general math, first year English, general science, you can see where this is going). So I had to just throw away my schedule and accept what Mr. Coffey and Mr. Bell decided I should take. So much for democracy, but now, in retrospect, I am glad it went the way it did.
I was not the head of my class, nor was I the tail end. There were some subjects that I really liked and others that drove me nuts. Later when I took Physics I found how much I needed a better background in math sciences. But oh well.
As it turned out in later years I became a Systems Engineer, designing computer programs for computers to run other computers, as well as general accounting programs. I designed the city/county/school district/water district/electric billing
and account for municipal power utilities and also for REA's (Rural Electric Assoc.)
These systems required inclusion of an extensive FEDERAL POWER REPORT. A report
so detailed that it accounted for even a barn light on a farm.
All of the above were based on the new two bank account methods of accounting for income from governmental enterprises and revenue income. Prior to this system entities kept account of fund by having a bank account for each enterprise and each revenue account. In many cases my method resulted in an extra source of income, we bargained with the banks for better interest on savings. So all was not lost.
I will tell you another story, if you don't mind. Mrs. Moran followed me to high school from the grade school. My sole purpose in life was to avoid having her , ever, as a teacher. And of course, not having control over selections of classes I ended up with her. This subject was Latin American Affairs, should be by the title a class in political science or social studies, well never mind it, the text that is,
was tossed the first day as was a rule in Mr. Moran's classes. And we will operate and learn from other sources.
In the beginning of this there was a lot of doubt that this would fly. But fly is only the tip of what happened.. Mrs. Moran opened a vista of South America that was
well worth the effort to get to class. The bottom line to this is when years later I went to the movie "Chariot of the God's" and I read the book, and I also read "Worlds in Collision" by Immanuel Velikovski. I found an interesting thing, I knew of many of the items in "Worlds in Collision" and large amount of "Chariots" must have come from the same sources Mrs. Moran cited in that class.
I have in my fondest memories of teachers that were above the norm. Though I personally tried to avoid Mrs. Moran I do concede that I learned more from her as
regards English composition (this blog excluded please) and not withholding credits for Latin American Affairs.
Meeting new classmates was of particular interest to me, I supposed that this was what was meant by bonding. I call it getting along with as opposed to not getting along. For the most part I was on a par with most every one. I probably had a few enemies but not many and only that I can remember and God Bless him he is gone.
One of the important ideas of learning was 'the how too or how not too' and this primarily applied to one's attitude toward the distaff of the party. So much to learn and so little time to do it ALL.
As the forever ribbing of one kind or another, Lord forbid that you have a fever blister on the lip and a female class mate come forth with the same affliction.
Through these times we grew in physical being, and I must say that for the best of these the feminine growth was handled better than the male. Oh sure, we all made it and fortunately the only serious illness for any of us was Leo Funk. We very nearly lost him to a ruptured appendix. I am discounting the broken legs and such for this is normal for the most part.
There was another accident that hurt another class mate. Kenneth Edwards was in the back of a pickup standing up, other Boy Scouts were sitting down. The driver had stopped momentarily to let another Scout on, and then drove forward. In retrospect it is a good thing that the tail gate was down, else Kenny could have fallen backwards and landed on this head, as it was he walked (stumbled) backward and stepping off landing on his feet, but wanting to go the wrong direction. In the fall he hurt is left knee pretty bad. The worst tho was he hit his head pretty hard and ended up with a couple of stitches over his left eye. He was a tough guy and made it fine, Now, Anna Marie, his mom is another story that accident put her down for about a week. Anna Marie Edwards was not a real well person, Bless her heart.
In the beginning year of high school I was one of the chosen to take courses for which I didn't know I was prepared. From grade school came the recommendation that I take Algebra, American Literature, Shop, Band, and a couple of off the wall things I can't remember.
Starting with Mr. Coffey, my favorite teacher along with Mr. Gracie. Mr.Coffey was sort of expecting things from me and I think it was because of Mr. Cox, in grade school I had no trouble with math at all and Mr. Coffey expected the same in HS and
to a degree I was able to give it to him. In the Algebra class I was paired with Raymond "Butch" Vigil. It became absolutely clear that the two of us were going to show how it (defining 'it' was another pass) going to be. During the first half of the year "Butch" and I were fairly well ahead of the rest of the class. This is not braggadocios talking only fact. It is true math was not really that hard and beside that I must admit that the doing of homework was a snap. The reason for it being a snap was that there was a group meeting in a booth at Mrs. Petty's Confectionery and Malt Shoppe.
I especially liked the Malt Shoppe meeting for it afforded me the pleasure of sitting next to Carolyn Walters, whom I had a healthy feeling for. It would be over a year before the fulfillment of a date with Carolyn would come to fruition. Again I digress, it was in the booth at the Malt Shoppe that was born the dual
efforts in completing Algebra homework and being sure the answers were correct. And there was NO failure. For "Butch" and I there were in two more years more fish to fry.
Mr. Gracie was my other favorite but it was not for band but science. His Biology, Zoology, and Science classes were for me outstanding. I enjoyed and excelled in all of them. The field trip to the gorge just north of the runway was great field trip, spiders, horn toads. bugs of all sorts, and tarantulas. We had specimens for a long time. The classes were easy all you had to do was PAY ATTENTION.
Mrs. Baylor and the Latin class was fun, but not very productive. Having been an altar boy I already knew some, emphasis some, Latin and there is a difference between church Latin and Roman Latin, truly interesting.
Mrs. Nutter and I could just not see eye to eye and as a result I had to study harder
to know the other side of an argument whether or not it was English Lit or American History. But I always made a grade.
Mr. Greigo I enjoyed his class, Shop I, I only took one year of shop as I could see that it was not something I would get ingrained in. Good made a 'B'.
That pretty much covers the classes, teachers, my feelings concerning them so what is left is other people and events coming up.
BUT FIRST LET ME SHOW YOU SOMETHING
WHAT APPEARS TO BE AN ADDITION TO THE BUILDING ON THE EAST SIDE IS THE BAND ROOM. FROM THIS SMALL AREA CAME THE GREAT MARCH MUSIC POPULAR IN THE 40s AND 50s. I AM REFERRING TO THIS ERA AS I WAS A PART OF IT IN THE 40s. AT THAT TIME THE DIRECTOR WAS JACK GRACIE.
THE GYM DOOR HAS A STORY OF ITS OWN. I MUST FIRST DENY KNOWING ANYTHING AS TO THE VERACITY OF THE STORY. IT WAS THE DAYS OF PRANKS OF VARIOUS KINDS. AT THIS TIME MR. GRACIE, THE BAND DIRECTOR DROVE A SMALL ENGLISH CAR, I RECALL A MORRIS-MINOR. FOR SOME REASON HE HAD LEFT IT AT SCHOOL OVER NIGHT. A GROUP OF PRANKSTER SOME HOW GAINED ENTRANCE TO THE SCHOOL LATE AT NIGHT. USING TOOLS FROM THE SHOP THEY CAREFULLY REMOVED THE CENTER DOOR SUPPORT OF THE GYM DOOR LEADING TO THE OUTSIDE. WITH THE REMOVAL OF THAT SUPPORT THE HEALTHY PRANKSTER PROCEEDED TO PICK UP, PHYSICALLY PICK UP MIND YOU, MR. GRACIE'S MORRIS-MINOR AND
CARRY IT THRU THE WIDE OPEN DOUBLE DOORS, INSIDE THE GYM THEY AGAIN, WITH BRUTE FORCE PICKED UP THE CAR AND PLACED IT ON THE STAGE. THEN THEY REPAIRED AND CLOSED AND SECURED THE OUTSIDE DOORS. THE CONSTERNATION OF THE POWERS TO BE ON THE MORROW WERE NEEDLESS TO SAY, MIXED, SOME ANGER, SOME LAUGHTER, AND A LOT OF QUESTIONS.
IN DUE COURSE 'VOLUNTEERS' REMOVED THE AUTO.
THIS WAS SOCORRO HIGH SCHOOL IN THE 1930s 40s 50s. AT THE TIME OF BUILDING THE MOST DESIRED DESIGN WAS SOUTHWEST, AND AS YOU WELL KNOW IT IS BY FAR THE THE DESIRED DESIGN EVEN NOW. DON'T YOU JUST LOVE IT?
THE PATIO OF THE SCHOOL WAS OF COURSE AN ATTRACTION IN THE EVENT THAT THERE WOULD BE A BIT OF SNOW TO PASS GENTLY ALONG IN THE FORM OF A HARD PRESSED BALL. ONTO THE UNSUSPECTING BACK SIDE OF OTHERS IN PURSUIT OF REVENGE.
1 comment:
Good post.
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