Class of 1975 Part 2 - The Wonder Years

The Wonder Years

I was eleven years old at the time I entered Park Junior High School. I tried to act older than I was. Seventh grade was horrible for me, but as I got older I realized that seventh graders are horrible people. I remember once someone thought it would be funny to put in the school paper under the cutest couple section me and someone named Robert Marsh. I didn't even know Robert, much less like him. I'm sure he got teased a lot about this. I used to teach them in Sunday school, and I thought "did we act like that?"  Looking back, we did.

I went to Park Junior High, the principal was Mr. Thomas Evans, who looked at me in his office and said “your mother was such a good student, why didn’t you take after her?” I was going through being 12 or 13 at the time. I got in lots of trouble that year. I couldn’t fit in with the popular kids, so I started hanging out with the trouble makers. I cut classes, and smarted off with teacher because they treated me like I was stupid. I got suspended from school in the eighth grade. I went to school anyway until Mr. Cook caught me and called my mom to come and get me. I got the beating of my life and grounded for the entire summer. I almost flunked ninth grade,

I goofed off in Mrs. Keefer’s American Studies class which I regret to this day, and other teachers I remember are Mr. Neal Lacy, who is still teaching math. I remember in his class symmetry. I have always loved science. In seventh grade I had Mrs. Sylvia Lilly. I ran into her years later as I covered the Lilly Reunion for WJLS. I had Miss Edwards for seventh grade geography, she later became Deborah Short, and founded the Women’s’ Resource Center. I went there several times with the job I had and she actually remembered me. I also had Miss Amoto. She was a hard teacher, but I learned from her how to takes notes, which has served well throughout my educational pursuits. I impressed her with my final assignment. We had to do a report and present it to the class and I did mine on The Space program. Back then I didn’t use notes, I did it from memory, I had note cards, just in case, but I didn’t use them. As I pronounced those Russian names and recited those dates I could tell she was impressed.

I also spent a great deal of time in the library. When we had study hall, I usually went to the library. I read everything from Laura Ingalls Wilder, to Langston Hughes. I loved to read, they had to call my mom, because I had racked up library fines to the tune of $2.25.  I also ordered books through the scholastic book club. I would skip lunch or eat junk so I could have money for books. I remember Ms. Juanita Miller; I was in Glee Club in eighth and ninth grade. I loved music. I never developed an outstanding singing voice. In her classes we sang everything from popular songs, Broadway show tunes, and classical music. Every once in a while when I hear something by Claude DeBussy my mind travels back to her classes.

In the fall of 1972, I entered high school. I was excited all summer. I couldn’t think of anything else. High school for me was my chance to start over. Make a new image. Do my schoolwork and stay out of trouble.  At 13 as most teenage girls do, I put on about 15 pounds and my mom had lost about 50 pounds on Weight Watchers. She began working for them as a clerk. She told me that if I didn’t lose weight she wouldn’t but me any school clothes. I had browsed the Montgomery Ward and Sears catalogs, I knew the look I wanted. I did go on a diet and walked in the evenings. My girlfriend Mary and I walked a lot, she would sneak and meet her boyfriend. They tried to fix me up as well. I wasn’t that interested in boys. I thought you had to do too much work to impress them. I did lose the 15 pounds and my mom made some of my clothes and bought some as well. 

My first couple of days of high school were crazy, the class of 1975 was the largest class to enter Woodrow at one time. I remember walking to class in front of two senior guys who were complaining about all of the sophomores, “they are everywhere” they said and we were. Around 570 of us; again learning how to get along with one time rivals, and now fellow classmates. I kept getting lost. I ended up  eating lunch at the wrong lunch and me and a guy named Mark Lowery ended up coming to English class really late and people laughing at us. I came home and had a Marsha Brady meltdown, “I hate high school!”  Things began to be on a somewhat even keel for a while that year. I carried all of my books and coat around all day, because I forgot where my locker was and forgot the combination. I finally went to the office and asked them.

At WWHS in some of the bathrooms, they had what they called “potty mama’s” They were there to keep the girls from smoking. It didn’t really worked most of the time the girls went to the bathroom in “E” section near the band room to smoke. Somewhere around end of the tenth grade, I begin to experience some bullying. I have always been well endowed or blessed beyond measure in the breast department. Some girls started a rumor as to how my breasts got that way; "I was easy." One girl threatened to beat me up because she just couldn’t stand me, because I thought I was cute. I didn’t think anything. My mom worked for Weight Watchers, by then she was a group leader and she had some really cool clothes and as most teenage girls do, I wore my mom’s clothes to school. I would run to the bus each day. The girl who wanted to beat me up rode another bus. I final went to one of the Vice principals or deans about this.

I guess eleventh grade was my best year in high school.  I really don’t know why I guess I just started tuning most of the crap out. I went to the library and I was interested in art. I had an art class. Like most girls I developed a crush on the one of the teachers. Nothing ever came of it though.   My only downfall was algebra. I had Mrs. Avis and I had trouble catching on, she recommended that I drop the class. Silly me, I thought that she knew what she was talking about. Looking back I should have gotten a tutor. My fear of Math would haunt for the next 35 years. I wasn’t until I went back to school at age 51 that I met Dr. Kelli White and Dr. Shirley Davis at New River Community and Technical College who took the time to work with me. With Dr. White I actually got several perfect math papers. I got “B’s” with Dr. Davis. I had to come in for tutoring sessions, but that really improved my self-esteem.

My senior year of high school, I had enough credits that I went to school a half day. I left school at 12:15, most days. Thinking back, I should have taken some more classes. High School is the last time you get a free education. By them I knew that I wanted to be in radio. I am not sure why. People told me that I should do something else. So I began thinking about teaching.  As a senior in high school all I wanted was a job so I could buy my own clothes.  I didn’t begin work for several years. On the first day of my senior year, I met a girl that would soon become one of my best friends. Her name was Amanda Carter. Her dad was a mining engineer, he was transferred here to build the Mine Academy. She asked me where a class was and I was finishing lunch and goofing off and I said “I’ll just show you”. We began to talk and she told her dad was transferred here to work on a project.  I cannot imagine what it would be like going to a new school my senior year. We became friends and have been friends ever since. It’s amazing how you make friends and they are friends for a long time.

I have known Shirley Stevens Hassler since second grade. We ended up working at the same place or our paths cross and we are working on a project together. During my senior year, my grandfather died of a heart attack. It was my first up close experience with death. I was 16 at the time. As the year ended, people were making plans to go to college or stated work. I didn’t have any plans, except to graduate. I was planning to spend a year at the West Virginia School for the Blind, to take some typing classes and different classes, but to be honest I was ready to leave home yet. 


The next installment will be coming soon!