Woodland Walks, Taffy Apples, and Junior High Days

1951 - 1954 (Seventh to Ninth Grade)

I often walked to Coolidge Junior High School. Sometimes I took the shortcut through the woods, which was a little scary. There was nothing but trees, quiet, and my imagination. On the way home I often stopped at King’s Apple Orchard for a taffy apple. Today the apple trees are gone, replaced by King’s Shopping Center. As far as academics were concerned, it was pretty uneventful in my case. I took the usual subjects. Seventh and Eighth Grade: English, Speech, Arithmetic, History, Geography, Science, Home Economics, Music, Gym, and Art. Ninth Grade: Journalism, Math, Civics, GBT (General Business), Choir, Health, Gym, and Dramatics. I got good grades (A’s and a few B’s) without studying very hard. I was the teacher’s pet in seventh grade Home Economics. My teacher was Mrs. McManus and she really liked me for some reason. Daddy sold her bushels of apples to use in her cooking classes. I had lots of friends and we had slumber parties, and put our hair up in pin curls fastened with bobby-pins. We bought 78 RPM and 45 RPM records and danced to a jukebox at the sock hops held in the school recreation room. These records were later replaced by 33 RPM records. When we purchased records at the record shop, we could go into little enclosed soundproof booths and listen to the records before we bought them. I knew all the words to all my favorite songs, and played my records until they were worn out. I purchased my first pair of nylons in seventh grade for my first dance. They had seams in the back and it was a real challenge to put them on straight. They were held up with a garter belt. I went to football and basketball games and played intramural sports after school.