Published 5/11/07, contributed by Janette Light Norton
I agree with Charles Cramer: How is it that 50 year old memories bubble up from deepest parts of our brain, when we can't even remember where we lay our glasses five minutes ago?Looking at the Campfire picture from Janice Huebel reminds me of so many things. Most, (maybe all), of the girls were from Sam Houston Elementary):
* The tall girl in the left, back is Regina Hebert. She was double promoted from Ms.Jagoe's 4th grade class, which was the class of '68, to 6th grade because she was so tall. You can see that she was as tall as the adults in the picture. I never saw her again after 4th grade because the following year 6th grade students went to Edison and the next year they stayed in elementary school because of crowed conditions. Our class got to reign as leaders for two years in a row. (Now, this may be true and it may not be--it's just what my 4th grade brain believed.)
* Linda Langhoff played the angel in the Christmas story. Her role was to lie very still and quietly on this little overhang above the "stage"--the area right in front of the large window that looks into the hallway. And right on cue, she "arose" from the angel hair clouds (did you get cut, Linda?) and in her white robe and great white wings, she told us to "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tiding of great joy..." Then, she lay back down behind the clouds until the whole production was over. I haven't seen the Nativity re-enacted in public schools for many years, have you?
* Arleen Lang and I were the youngest girls in our class--our birthdays were two days apart in August. Diane Richmond, Linda Langhoff, and Jenny Rhodes all rode to school with Mrs. Hoffpauir on her shift truck. ($2.25/month) We had her last run--she carried two runs of students each day to Sam Houston, just after she took shift workers to the Gulf and Texaco refineries. If you didn't, maybe your dad rode with her in the old army green GM woodie. Who else rode with Mrs. Hoffpauier? I can almost see the route as it ran down 9th Ave. and picked up Jenny, or over across the highway to pick up Peggy Edwards, I believe. Randy Blanchard and several of the boys got to ride their bikes to school. Our parents wouldn't let us ride our bikes to school, but we could walk around the neighborhood or play baseball in the vacant lot long past the street lights all summer long.
* Then there was Cherlyn Hebert's great birthday slumber party in the Pear Ridge Town hall. Becky LeBlanc and Peggy Edwards were the most beautiful girls there.
* Here's to you, Joel Levy: Starting in second grade, when I moved to PA--Mrs. Wolf, Mrs. Patin, Mrs. Jagoe, Mrs. Little and Mrs. Nash. I don't think a topic ever arises that I can't relate to Mrs. Jagoe. I don't know if she was so smart or if the 4th grade curriculum really is about reading to learn.
* When I first bought my Memorial DVD, I discovered that Mike Lawson and I shared the same second and third grade class together. Who else have I forgotten? Thank you Janice, for the great memories. Like I said, I may have made half of them up and forgotten the rest, but they surely make me smile to believe that's the way things were. And, like Charles Cramer said, they popped right up, just waiting for a chance to live again.
Published 5/11/07, contributed by Sandy Ellis MacNamera
I have been wanting to write this "I Remember When" but kept putting it off. So - this is in response to Janette Light's challenge for Edison memories.1963 - TRI HI Y initiation at my house. My daddy agreed to drive us around - can you imagine the bravery? I can remember most of the faces, and a few of the names of the girls in attendance. It was a mixed bag of Edision and Woodrow Wilson girls. Nancy Decker, Carol Olivier, Sherry Donaldson, Debbie Chesser, Joan Morris, Linda Blanton, Carol Ann Babin, Marline Fallin to name a few - If you remember being there, let me know.
I remember that my room had just been "re-done - if you remember, my daddy owned Ellis Furniture, so new furniture was not unusual. I had White (of all things!) carpet, orange stripped bed spread, curtains, and accessories. I had darling bunk beds and a store-rack full of clothiers in the room. There were snacks - LOTS of them including "french union dip" with ruffels chips,, bean dip with fritos, cokes, and lots more. I think that for some reason, (LMAO), there was vanilla extract for the cokes -LOTS of it - and a few bouts of throwing up in the bedroom as a result. maybe even a little bit of drunkenness - imagine - as a result.
Daddy drove us around - the eight graders covered in shaving cream, hair spray, temporary hair color, whipped cream, and a variety of other substances designed to make those pesky eight grade girls as ICKY as possible. There were stops at the bowling alley, Farm Royal, Drakes, convince stores, making the DRAG, and other spots to show off the crowd. There was lots of hooting and hollering, "singing, laughing, screaming, and general racket. The back of the truck was full and we, big-ole 9th graders were doing our best not to get the STUFF on us.
I remember Debbie Chesser and I sitting on the tail gate of the truck (can you imagine in this day and age, a pick-up truck FULL of 13 and 14 year olds sitting and standing in the back of the truck, not wearing seat belts, no protection of any kind? We were headed back to 847 Brazos Ave, driving VERY SLOW down Lewis Dr. just a few blocks from Brazos when suddenly - as a result of a knee in my back, gunk dripping on me, or SOMETHING - I ended up in the middle of Lewis Dr. ... RUNNING after my daddy's truck. All the girls were screaming "Stop Mr. Ellis, STOP" and I was yelling "STOP DADDY - wait for me" and just a running down the middle of the street. Finally my daddy got the message and stopped - I believe I jumped back into the truck announcing that I was FINE - perfectly OK - just take me home. When we got back to the house there was a lot of concern for my health and safety - I insisted I was just fine except for a pesky headache. I believe that several of the neighborhood boys rode their bicycles to the to check out the girls - Clifford Antone and Michael Amuny, rode up and I explained to them that I was FINE - Chris Bellenger and some other boys also came - but some of the girls noticed that I was not making sense, was a little wacky and unable to stop crying. Finally, my daddy drove me and Debbie Chesser to Park Place Hospital where I was admitted with a concussion. Debbie - my best friend at the time - stayed the night with me. I was discharged on Saturday, Sunday OR Monday with bed rest for my future. The rest of the girls continued their party at our house on Brazos that Friday (or was it Saturday?) - the food was eaten, food was spoiled - drinks consumed, drinks spilled - music listened to and the slumber party continued. I do believe that a good time was had by ALL. When I returned home on Saturday - maybe it was Sunday or Monday - I had a concussion and slept a lot, so I don't remember much. My room had been re-done. The white carpet was gone, as was the cutsie orange details. It was never discussed again.So ladies - fill in the details for me if you can. Not even sure that this story made any sense. Were YOU there? What do you remember? Does ANYONE have any pictures? Does anyone have any memories? Has anyone seen Debbie Chesser, Joan Morris, Chris Bellenger or the others? Please fill in the blanks for me. Did you have fun? - I do believe that people had fun - even me until the trip to the hospital. Should we do it again? Ladies - I THINK that a big Ol' slumber Party would be FUN - how about you?
Enough already - long story - little detail. Paul and I are headed to Port Aransas in the morning for a wedding - gotta get up early - SOOOOOOOo Night all and let me hear from you. Jeanette - how'd I do? Did I meet the challenge?
