Member-only story
What I Remember — From Twelfth Grade (1968–1969)
I’ve heard it said that a child remembers nothing from his or her first three years. I’ve also heard it said that old people like myself — I turned 73 recently — remember more about their youth than they do about last week. Thus, as I prepare to attend my 55th high-school reunion of the class of 1969 later this summer, I thought it might be interesting to see what I actually remember from those early years, kindergarten through twelfth grade in the Catholic schools I attended in upstate New York. Since I don’t honestly remember much from those early years of school, I thought I would post my vague memories, and perhaps they might stir up the memories of others who attended school during that same era.
Do you remember how our teachers were always preaching about the importance of earning good grades, so we could be accepted into a good college? I understood that part well, but an unrelated work experience actually drove home that message even more powerfully during the summer before our senior year.
Honestly, I wasn’t even seriously looking for a job when my dad came home one day and told me that an acquaintance of his had agreed to hire me sight unseen to work at one of the many factories in town. All I had to do was show up at 7:00 a.m. on the first Monday of July, and this gentleman would put me to work. Naturally, I was somewhat…
