A Scholarship Hidden in a Desk Drawer

During my teenage years I was active in a 4-H club called the “Peppy Steppers.” We learned how to make tablecloths and napkins with fringe, flower arranging, and how to make full circle skirts, which were the latest fad. The full circle skirts were worn with starched crinolines and a wide cinch belt. The more crinolines worn, the fuller the skirt would stand out. So the goal was to wear a lot of crinolines. We also wore rolled up blue jeans, and neck scarves, Bobby socks and saddle shoes. Remember the white buck shoes and penny loafers with a shiny new penny? Our hair was set in pin curls with Bobby pins. I wonder what ever happened to all of those Bobby pins? In 4-H, I really wasn’t interested in food preparation. Later on, my daughter would vouch for that. However, true to Mom’s excellent teachings, Carol was a wonderful cook and her cooking won her a baking award and a trip to the Illinois State Fair to show off her talent. Carol was so excited. Through junior high I was very shy, but still, I participated in many activities. I wasn’t any good at sports. I couldn’t hit a ball if you stopped it right in front of my nose. So, I got glasses and still couldn’t hit the ball. Guilds are artistic and creative, not athletic. But that was okay because I really liked going to school dances. Mom always made sure we had nice dresses to wear to these occasions. I remember one dress I had that Mom bought me at the Kay Bee store where Bob worked in downtown Moline. The dress was satin with red and white polka dots. I loved that dress. To earn money, my very first endeavor was going door to door selling flower seeds from a catalog. (Now I grow my own seeds.) I sold enough to buy two lamps for my bedroom. I was so proud of myself. I also made money by babysitting for the Hancocks and Iris. Iris met Bill when she was working at Cozy Corners across the street from Coolidge Junior High. She got married when I was about nine. I remember she went over to Ruth and Tom Johnson’s to take a bath. She was so beautiful that day. I was impressed with her wedding ring. It was an emerald and so unique. I was truly impressed. I must have been in junior high school when I babysat for Iris. After the children went to sleep, I was all alone in this huge house. I was terrified. The house had these big wall-to-wall windows that overlooked a mammoth back yard and a ravine. At night, the house made noises I couldn’t identify, so my imagination ran wild. First I closed the drapes, then I sat frozen stiff on the sofa in the formal living room until Iris came home. Oh yeah, under the cushion of the sofa I tucked one of Iris’ biggest knives. Like I was gonna use it, right! I think I only babysat for Iris that one time. I was a sophomore when I had my first crush on Merle Ericson. He had dark wavy hair and was very handsome. My junior and senior year I worked summers at the Tasty Treat root beer stand on Blackhawk Road. The uniform I wore was a very short, pleated navy-blue skirt. I really liked that job because I could have all the root beer I wanted served in a frosty-cold mug. Carol worked at the root beer stand too, but not for very long. With our very first paychecks, we combined our money and redecorated our room. We bought two twin beds with Hollywood frames and matching bedspreads. The bedspreads were a turquoise blue corduroy material and came with long rolled pillows. Mom made us matching curtains out of turquoise blue and white checked gingham. In the corner of our room we hung a swag lamp above our beds and we purchased a big round rug to put on the floor in front of our beds. I was so proud, I loved it. Remember when Bernie plastered his room? He did such a good job his work is still there. My senior high school year was a struggle, socially. We had moved to the newly built Moline High School. I hung out with my sister, Carol, and her friends. We would go to basketball games and we would go to eat at Frank’s Pizza. I had my very first pizza at Frank’s. I graduated from the new school in 1959. I was an average student with straight A’s in art. Of course, with Mom’s creativity and Dad’s ingenuity, we Guild kids all knew we were artistic and very good at it. During the later part of my senior year I entered a contest: “Why would you like to be a beautician?” With the help of my sister, Diana, we composed an essay. The essence of my essay was about my desire to express my artistic ability through designing and sculpturing hair. I received a ton of literature about different colleges and such in my senior year. I just shoved it all in the top drawer of my desk and did not pay much attention to it. After graduation, I was sorting through all of these papers and stumbled onto the paper that stated that I had written the winning essay in the contest. I was so surprised I went running to Mom with the great news. I won a three-hundred-dollar scholarship to Hurley’s Beauty School. From there, I called Hurley’s, enrolled myself and my fate was sealed. Thanks, Diana. You wrote my essay, and won me a very rewarding career. My very first patron in beauty school was a lady with shoulder-length blonde hair. She insisted that I set her hair in pin curls. I had been learning how to set hair with rollers, the very newest trend in styling hair. Now, I never get upset, but I just could not see the logic. Why did I have to go through all the trouble of pin curls when it was so much easier to roll the hair? Well, she persisted and I was stuck doing the pin curls. It took me forever. The lady liked her hair when I was done. She liked it so much she made another appointment with me. Lucky me!