A Pocket of Resistance: A Teaser

The sorting, scanning, throwing away, and organizing continues…endlessly. Then momentarily stopped as i ran into a pile of photographs from my last year in junior high. i longingly tried to remember every moment.

The below is a partner to the photo that will accompany my column tomorrow in The Lebanon Democrat.

1958 was one of the best, if not the best, year of my life — of course, i didn’t know then. Lebanon Junior High was simply fantastic. i was a football and basketball co-captain with Jimmy Gamble and Clinton Matthews respectively. i was a co-star in the eighth grade play with Sarah (Sassy) Ward, and was the male lead with  Martha Donnell as the female lead in the eighth grade operetta. i even made good grades, including a classic moment when Mrs. Purnell told me she could see by the look in my eye i finally understood the rudiments of algebra. Everyone was great friends. The teachers were kind and effective, and Mrs. Burton, a first-year principal was absolutely delightful. The beautiful Elaine Davis even wore my letter sweater.

And yes, i really didn’t understand it was to be my pinnacle. Mind you, i ‘m not complaining. Life has been good, and even if i could change a few critical points, which might have contributed to making a little less money, not becoming a successful writer, or whatever, i wouldn’t change a thing: i have an incredibly beautiful, talented and loving wife, two spectacularly talented and capable daughters, and a grandson who continues to make my buttons burst with pride. So no, i’m not complaining. i wouldn’t change a thing.

Back to the subject at hand, the  below picture is the cast of the eighth grade play that wonderful year. Mrs. Burton, who ran the whole thing is appropriately in the middle of the photo.

For all my old friends:

Front row (l/r): LeRoy Dowdy, Sassy Ward, the goofy guy, Sharry Baird, Clinton Matthews; Middle Row: Marcia Emmert, Beverly Hughes, MrsBurton, Elaine Davis, Laurene Smith, Henry Harding, Andy Berry, Mary Cardiff, and Brenda Hankins.
Front row (l/r): LeRoy Dowdy, Sassy Ward, the goofy guy, Sharry Baird, Clinton Matthews; Middle Row: Marcia Emmert, Beverly Hughes, Mrs. Burton, Elaine Davis, Laurene Smith; Top row: Henry Harding, Andy Berry, Mary Cardiff, and Brenda Hankins.

4 thoughts on “A Pocket of Resistance: A Teaser

  1. I believe this was Lebanon High and not Junior High. These folks graduated from high school in 1962. I graduated from LHS in 1964. Love the pictures !!

    1. It was 1958, not 1962. The latter is the year we all graduated from high school. Jim Gamble, LeRoy Dowdy and i graduated from Heights, but this bunch and all of those other good folks from LHS ’62 adopted the “goobers” after CHMA went under in 1987.

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