After a couple of months break for the holidays, a little family drama and one thing after another, it is time for me to get back to the theme of my blog. For newer readers the reason I started writing about being a baby boomer is because I, like most of my peers, feel like growing up when we did could not have been more fun.
I was always one of those kids that could not wait to get to school every morning. It is hard to remember how I felt about starting high school in the fall of 1961. There is always apprehension in beginning any new adventure and entering the doors of that huge red brick building with 1,400 or 1,500 other students had to be a little frightening. It was one of those moments that you looked forward to and dreaded at the same time. Upon entering those big doors it seems like my life took on a new adventure every day.
Somehow my sophomore year found me in accelerated classes. How that happened I will never know but it was a struggle to keep up, especially in Algebra II. Homework always got done since I never wanted to look stupid in class and actually my grades were not bad. The real fun though of going to school was all the other stuff. As I told my kids in later years, school itself is not fun. You have to join in the extra curricular activities for the fun part. I was very good at that.
Muskogee High School was pretty outstanding in many ways. The football team, called the Roughers, had many state championships through the years. They were called the Roughers because in a state championship game in 1925 they played with no helmets due to a lack of funding and their rough play. The half-time shows at the games were as outstanding as the football team with the 140 piece All-Boy Marching Band and the 70 member girl's marching team called the Crack Squad. My sophomore year I was one of 158 members of the Pep Squad that sat in the stands and cheered. I still rather cringe over the thought of wearing the seven gore green skirt, white blouse, green tie and the green and white beanie.
The best part about the football games was the stadium. Indian Bowl, as it was known, was actually adjacent to Alice Robertson Junior High. It was built in 1939 by the WPA. Prior to then the games were played at the downtown athletic park which was really a baseball stadium. When Indian Bowl was built it was the largest football complex in Oklahoma with seating for 6,500 people. The first game had over 8,000 fans come to see Muskogee play Fayetteville, Ar. The best thing today about Indian Bowl is that it is still in use even though a new high school was built in 1970 on plenty of land to accommodate a new stadium. The old concrete bleachers have been replaced and the press box is now three stories tall but the basic structure is the same.
It was at one of the football games that my brother Paul who was a senior came over to the Pep Squad section to announce to me that he had gotten married. Married? I didn't even know he was dating anyone more than once or twice. Why was he telling me before he told Mom and Dad? He must have gotten around to telling me who he married at some point which only made things worse. I knew who she was from both of us going to a sports camp a couple of summers before. She was cute and she was the best at every sport at the camp. Paul goes off and leaves me with the promise not to say anything to Mom and Dad till he does. Boy, I can remember sitting there in that dippy Pep Squad outfit with braces on my teeth and bad hair knowing the reaction of our parents. Not a great night. More on this later.
Since I was a person who couldn't wait to get to school and it was a long walk from home, my Mom dropped me off on her way to work. Before school you could hang out in the cafeteria where they sold cokes and donuts. Nothing like starting off the day on a real sugar high but hanging out was fun. After school I could walk home or go two blocks to the Carnation Ice Cream parlor and factory, then walk downtown to catch a ride home with Mom or Dad. Did I really start out the day with donuts and pop and end the day with a sundae?
Of all the places in America for President Kennedy to pick as the perfect location to start the Presidential Physical Fitness program he had to chose Muskogee. Perhaps they had some inside information about the before school snacks, Carnation Ice Cream and Chet's Hot Dog Stand. I actually did not remember that we were the "example" school for the nation until someone found it on YouTube. All I remember was that at some designated time you had to change into gym clothes, run around and exercise and then change back into school attire and head off to class. Maybe it was a good thing considering how bad we ate.
My sophomore year I remember dating some but not many of my classmates were old enough to drive. It seemed like we spent a lot of time dancing. There were dances in the gym after the basketball games to the music of the school jazz band, dances at the local "Y" where we had hung out all summer and of course dances at the famed Meadowbrook Country Club. Usually parents had to drive you there and pick you up. Prior to having a driver's license or an older boyfriend dating was difficult.
Muskogee Central High had an outstanding speech department. That was always at the top of my list to take as an elective subject. The speech teacher, Jack Gregory, was not only outstanding as a speech and drama teacher but as a caring and fun mentor. He had many National Champion Debate Teams through the years and a huge speech tournament at our school every year.
In the fall of my sophomore year he gave all the speech class students a hayride and wiener roast. In my infinite wisdom I accepted a date with a senior speech class member. I was feeling pretty smug but big brother Paul had to tell me how stupid I was for accepting the date. Just who did Paul think he was telling me who I could or couldn't date?
The day of the hayride arrived and my date picked me up and we went off to meet the speech classes and the hay wagon. I was having a great time on the hayride and the wiener roast that was out by the river was really neat. The problems started on the return ride in the dark. My date was pretty good sized and I was not much of a match for him as he threw me down in the hay. I think Mr. Gregory realized I was out of my league when it came to handling this guy and manged to keep us apart.
Well add another stupid mark on my forehead as I actually got in the car with him so he could take me home. We were almost to my house when he pulled off into a field. I was leaning on the passenger door trying to figure out what to do when all of a sudden the door flew open. A very angry voice said "get in my car!" I made a thankful dash for the other car as my brother Paul had a few words with my date. Paul got in the car and asked if I was beginning to learn how not to be stupid. I answered yes. He didn't say anything else and dropped me at home. It is interesting how quickly one can learn from poor judgement.
I guess Mom and Dad had been thinking about a new house since our experience of looking at the Bower house. In the spring they bought a brand new three bedroom home in a development south east of town. They purchased all new furniture and Mom had great fun planning the landscaping. It was sad to leave the old neighborhood that I had always lived in but the excitement of a new house and new neighbors was fun.
Prom time arrived and I was very surprised to be asked to go with a boy who was a junior. We had not really even dated but he was very cute and very nice. No, I did not have Paul check him out. Actually Paul's wife, Mitzi, gave the okay and gave me a dress to wear. I wish to this day I had a picture of that dress so I could know if it really looked the way I remember it. The Prom was great fun and was my date. I was very sad when he moved away that summer as I really did like him.
Back to the dress. It was a very pale blue strapless dress made out of 100 yards of blue net. The skirt rather reminded me of something out of Gone With The Wind. My Dad's favorite story he liked to tell until the day he died was when I wore the dress a few weeks later to a banquet. My date that night had a bug-eyed Sprite. He was not a small person but the car certainly was. Since it was a beautiful spring evening the top was down and to get me and the dress in the car my Dad had to come out and assist in stuffing the dress down so that my date and I could see out the windshield. Must have been a sight to the neighbors.
What I remember, in general, about my sophomore year was a lot of growing up due to a flood of new experiences. I think we were a lot less mature at fifteen then than kids are today and a lot less stressed.
There were probably some very insecure times but I was lucky in that I really remember lots of laughter and fun.
The approaching summer was one not to be forgotten.
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