JimBlackBooks.com
1960 - 1969 (Cont'd)
The most important memory I want to share is about Mrs. Crowley Hawkins. When I was a senior we were all in study hall at the beginning of school—it might have been the first day. Back in the day, they would announce who was on annual staff and the paper, etc. from study hall and that is when you knew what position each person had been put on. I had never been on anything nor did I ever expect to be on anything. Mrs. Crowley picked me to be head of the annual. You cannot imagine how surprised I was. No one had ever acted like I was capable of doing anything that was important. She gave confidence in myself and helped my self esteem more than anyone ever had. I have no idea why she picked me and have never asked, but I will always remember how much that meant to me.
Now moving on to my sister, if she was here she could tell some good ones. The one I remember most was when Jane was in 10th or 11th grade and had Mr. Lambert for an English teacher. I don't know whose idea it was but several people in her English class decided to roll Mr. Lambert's house with toilet paper. I think David Wright was also involved in this. Anyway, I guess in the getting away David and Jane were seen and got into trouble. The next day the Superintendent called and made an appointment to come to the house to talk to mother and daddy after daddy got off work. When he drove up, Jane had a fit and told daddy that if her let him come into the house, she would leave and never come back. Daddy, knowing Jane tended to do what she threatened, went outside on the porch and talked to him there. I just remember Jane and her threat and don't remember if they (she and David) were punished or not and I'm sure daddy was mortified.
Now a story about me. In the 6th grade, Ross Glen was held back for six weeks and if he passed then he could move up to 7th grade. I sat beside him in the back of the room in Mr. Fisher's class. Ross had an active imagination and would play cowboys and Indians on his desk. I had to watch or talk to him as it was just my nature. Mr. Fisher finally got fed up with us and said if we were so interested in what we were doing we could just sit in the same desk. Thankfully, he only made us sit like that for part of the day. Still, I was glad when Ross moved up to the 7th grade and I finally got out of trouble. I will say in passing, Mr. Fisher was always really nice to me and of course I enjoyed his class.
Jane hated school from the very beginning. Mother would take us to school and we would get out and I would go to class and Jane would beat Mother home. I don't know how long that went on. It was funny to me but mother didn't see the humor in it.
My brother, John, (who never did anything wrong) had to take something to study hall for a teacher when he was in junior high. David Wright said, “There’s Jane's brother,” and Coach McCown, who was the study hall teacher that day, said, “Oh no. You mean there is another one of them?” John was suitably upset with me and Jane.
The teachers couldn't tell Jane and me apart, especially if they didn't know us very well. Jane was in junior high and I was in high school and many times we got in trouble because they thought we were on the wrong floor.
I looked in the yearbook and found that when I was a senior there was at least one, if not four, cousins in every grade but the 8th and 9th grade. Don't know what happened those years but anyway, there were so many kin folks you had to know anything you did wrong was going to get told and your mother would find out.
One more Ross Glen story. I don't know if he got mad at a kid named Milford Dilday or he just did it to aggravate him. He picked him up in his chair and hung him out the third floor window. I'm sure someone made him stop, but I don't remember who.
Carol Lewis – Class of 1964
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There was a bar dividing the study hall and the library. The school furnished ink for all the students. Ink wells were on the bar so that students in the library and study hall had access to them. One day a couple of mischievous students (I won’t name names) put Alka Seltzer in the ink wells. What a mess! That was the end of the school furnishing ink! Study hall has lots of memories!
If you were passing all subjects and weren’t in any trouble, you were issued a library card. When you were in study hall and wanted to go to the library, all you had to do was raise your library card and whoever the teacher was keeping the study hall would nod that it was okay for you to go. Coach McCown was keeping study hall one day when Ross Glenn raised up a card. Coach asked, “Ross, whose card do you have?” Ross looked at it and said, “A.J. Morris.” Everyone in study hall burst out laughing! A little later Ross raised another card. Coach asked him again, “Whose card do you have?” Ross looked at the card and said, “Donnie Linscott.” Once again the study hall erupted in laughter! As I recall, there was never a lot of studying going on in study hall, but lots of talking, gum chewing, telling jokes, and laughter.
When I was a junior, I took my little brother Nubbin Johnston, age three, to the Senior Play. Before the play ever started, he ran away from me, ran down in front of the stage and back up the opposite aisle. I had on high heels and was trying to catch him. The audience roared with laughter, and I was so embarrassed!
Mrs. Crowley and Coach McCown were the directors for our Senior Play. Mrs. Crowley had always told us that we needed to stay in character, no matter what happens. Our play was The Cannibal Queen. I had the part of Ju Ju, the Cannibal Queen and Mike Stewart was one of the cannibals. Mike and I were onstage together in a scene, and he had a very large Camp Fire bead stuck in his belly button. During this scene the Camp Fire bead popped out and rolled across the stage. Needless to day, we completely lost it and so did the audience! We like to have never regained our composure so that we could go on with the play. Mike never admitted it, but I’m pretty sure he did it on purpose!
Another great memory was sitting out front on the steps before the bell rang in the morning before school started, and also at lunchtime. That is when we caught up with what everyone had done the evening or weekend before.
Mazie Johnston Berend – Class of 1965
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I remember coming into school at the beginning of the year, and the student council had gone from $ .05 up to $ .06 on a bottle of coke. I think this was in 1960 or 1961.
We moved away in March of 1962. If we had stayed, I would have been in the Class of '65. We lived at 208 S. Ash Street. Our home burned in early 1962. We moved to Houston, but I've attended more AC Reunions than Houston Reunions.
Berry Ann (Findley) Greer
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One of my favorite memories occurred in Chemistry class: We were doing a lab experiment with our teacher, Ed Harvill, at the blackboard writing compound formulas. My seat was mid-row next to the blackboard facing him. We all had Bunsen burners out with gas hoses attached preparing to heat something. The sinks each had two long neck water spigots spanning over into the sink. I thought (maybe in error) wonder what would happen if the gas hose from the burner was attached to each of those water spigots and turned on? I bet that hose would swell like a balloon and how cool would that be. Of course with his back to the class I had the full attention of everyone, except the teacher, with my own little experiment. One of my buddies turned on one spigot and I the other. Well, obviously that wasn't very well thought out as one end of the hose came off and started flopping around sending a stream of water down the blackboard across the small of the Mr. Harvill’s back. I guess it gave him a start because he sucked in enough air to deplete the supply for the rest of us. It took just a sec to get the water turned off, but the damage had been done. My reward from Mr. Adams was nine licks. However it must have been pretty cool because two of my buddies—Steve Parsley and Barney Oliver—agreed to share the licks and Mr. Adams agreed with each recipient receiving three each. Coach Graves didn't find out so the punishment ended there.
Barry Morrison – Class of 1965
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In sixth grade, we were having a question/answer activity standing up by the windows. I grabbed the window shade cord and absent-mindedly started making knots in it until it was over my head. Mrs. Lytle saw it and said, “You better start untying those knots right now!” Well, since they were slip-knots, I just yanked on it and they fell out immediately and everyone laughed. This made her angry, and she sent me out in the hall. Mrs. Trent had taken her class for a break, and she was standing by the sixth grade door when I came out. We looked far down the hall, and here came the principal headed in our direction. Mrs. Trent was wearing a big raincoat. She opened up one side of it, shoved me inside, and closed it up. The principal got to us and walked on by. At that point she opened up her coat and released me saying, “Now, get your hiney back in there and BEHAVE!”
My dad, Gene, had a job before school called “firing the boiler.” He was to get there early to help in the furnace room to get the heat going for the classroom radiators. He was late one day, and classes had started before it got warm. Finally, the radiators started sputtering, and things warmed up. The only problem was the boys who had hunted and killed skunks all night and put them next to the radiators. The smell was so horrible, in fact, they were sent home—which was probably the plan to begin with!!
In 1961, I was a freshman sitting on the last seat of the freshman row of study hall students right next to the library counter. The librarian always kept two glass ink wells full of ink to fill our fountain pens with. One morning my good friend and trickster, Ross Glenn, winked at me and jabbed me in the ribs. I turned to see what he was up to just as he dropped Alka Seltzers into the ink wells. You can only imagine how they fizzed and bubbled up about a foot high! About then, the principal came walking by and assumed since I was the closest one around, that I had pulled the prank. Even though I, for once, was perfectly innocent, I got hauled to the office and got licks for the dastardly deed!
Shortly after we had received our football jackets I was sitting in my seat proudly wearing mine when in walks Ross Glenn, ink pen in hand, and squirted ink on my white letter “A”. Being an underclassman I knew better than to confront him, but I was extremely upset that my good buddy would do that to my new football jacket! As I sat there fuming for a few minutes, I looked down to realize nothing was showing. Ross had squirted me with disappearing ink!
Mike Stewart – Class of 1965
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We lived a block from school when I was a first grader. Therefore, I always walked home for lunch. I was dying to get to eat in the cafeteria where I could push my own tray and be served by the ladies and eat with my friends. Mom told me if it were ever raining, I could eat at school. So, the first day there was the lightest sprinkle, I allowed how that qualified me for a cafeteria lunch! I proudly proceeded through the line and sat with my friends to enjoy my lunch. I don’t remember the whole fare that day, but I do remember the green beans. I loved green beans and ate them often at home. So, I started with a nice big bite of those on my fork. Holy Cow! Those were NOT my mom’s green beans! My biggest dilemma now was to decide what I was going to do with them. I knew better than to spit them out on my tray, and I sure as heck didn’t want to swallow them! Finally, I managed to use my napkin to dispose of them. I was never in a big hurry to eat in the cafeteria again!
When I was in elementary school in the 50’s, at lunch recess we were allowed to cross the street to the “Little Store” on the corner. One could take a dime and come back with a whole little sack of goodies. Some things were “two for a penny”. I always purchased a Banaba Bike for Mom, licorice for Daddy, peppermint for Mammaw, and then assorted treats (usually Lick-um-aid or wax Kool-Aid sticks) for me and my siblings. What fun-filled memories!
The elementary playground holds many wonderful memories. There was the big old merry-go-round with a top, Johnny Strides, a tall slide, and the monkey rings that I remember the most. Seems like every time I climbed up on the platform to start the monkey rings, that’s when the bell rang to go in. Of course, I had to start the “several ring trip”, sometimes getting reprimanded for not coming immediately when the bell rang.
In the fifth grade, we started Beginner’s Band. We were so excited, and Judy Mc, Trecie, Janis, Mavis, Phyllis, and I all wanted to play the saxophone. On the first day, we were assembled in the band hall. The band director explained to us that he wanted to make sure the instrument we had chosen was a good choice for our mouth structures. So, he asked each one of us to come forward to where he sat on a stool and open our mouths wide so he could check this out. Well, there was no way on God’s green earth that Judy Mc and I were going to embarrass ourselves in front of the whole group. So, when our time came, we both blurted out, “DRUMS!” She opted out later and went back to the saxophone, and I played the drums for the next eight years!!
Mr. Gerron was superintendent of Archer High School during the late 1930’s, 40’s, and 50’s. he ruled with a stern hand. What I remember most was his steadfast rule that the north sidewalk leading up to the high school building was the “GIRLS” sidewalk, and the south sidewalk was the “BOYS’. Heaven help you if you dared walked up the wrong one! So, naturally there was absolutely no PDA allowed in the halls or anywhere else on campus!
My sister, Linda Sue, was a very smart, talented young lady who excelled in many areas, but basketball was not one of them. However, as a seventh grader, she decided to try her hand at athletics. After a few days of working out, she decided it wasn’t her forte when the coach said, “Linda Sue! You do not have to say, ‘Excuse me!’ every time you bump into someone on the court!”
One day in the early 60’s, Miss Spencer was overseeing the huge study hall which housed all the high school classes for early morning announcements. Announcements were completed, and Miss Spencer was standing on the platform behind the desk quietening the large group with shouts of her own. Once she had accomplished this, she proceeded to sit down in her chair which slipped off the back of the platform. This caused her chair to be thrown back against the wall causing her feet in her little orthopedic shoes to wind up sticking right straight up high in the air! There was an undeniable “GASP” emitted by all the students, but everyone was frozen! We didn’t dare laugh! Then came Miss Spencer’s stern voice, “Don’t just SIT there, someone come help me!” Whereas, several scurried to her assistance!
One can’t remember school days, without remembering favorite teachers. Mrs. Crowley (even if she is my mother!) was one of those special people. She loved life and her students. If it were Ranch Week, she wore six-shooters (two belts laced together to fit around her) and little pistols-in-holster earrings. If it were a football play-off game in frigid weather, she wore long handles under her dress since, at that time, teachers didn’t wear pants. At the Halloween Carnival, she volunteered to dress in bloomers and sit in the dunking booth. For several years, the seniors voted for her to be their senior trip sponsor because they knew she was loads of fun and good for a laugh. It might be her running down the bus aisle squirting kids with water guns or shaving cream! Whatever the event, you could count on Mrs. Crowley to make it memorable!
I know much has been said about the ’64 Wildcats’ journey from their freshman year to the State game, but that era consumed my high school years. As a cheerleader my Jr/Sr years, we painted signs, went to cheer camp at SMU, practiced for pep rallys and skits, and loved the Friday night games. Our senior year, we cheerleaders made an 8-ft paper maché football player body and connected it to a giant Wildcat head. All was well until a strong wind knocked it over at the Wildcat stadium and crushed it. But nothing could crush our spirit and love for those Wildcats!
Judy Crowley Stewart – Class of 1965
