First Grade - Chapter 01
I didn't
go to kindergarden. Mother taught me a few things, probably my ABC's. I don't think they had kindergarden in Knoxville in 1953. I went to Beardon Elementary, and Mrs Treadway was my teacher. I still have my report card. Mother saved them all. I started at age 5, turning 6 on Halloween. Mother drove me to school, I think. I never took a school bus to school. We might have ridden the city bus or even walked, although I don't think so. We were living on Chapman highway in an apartment. I would get to school early and play with all the other kids in the playground until the bell rang. I found out there was another first grader, named Dick, in a different class that had a "gang". They didn't really do anything but hang out together in the school yard before school (Although Dick did get in a fight with another kid one morning before school). I screwed up my courage one morning and approached Dick, who I really didn't know, and asked him if I could be in his gang. To my proud surprise, he said "Sure!" and I was affiliated with Dick and his gang. I felt special. The only friend I can remember was Clifford Piasecki, (2/15/47 - 8/28/87) who had a scar on the back of his neck. He claimed his cousin shot him with an arrow, after the arrow had gone through a pear. I was impressed and never doubted his story. We became "blood brothers" when we cut our left index fingers and joined them together. If any of Clifford's family or friends come across this, I would be interested to kow how Clifford's life turned out - dspvbfl@comcast.net
Mrs. Treadway was a good teacher and gave me a good foundation to continue my education on. I remember drawing circles on line, dot, line paper with an oversize pencil. I had trouble drawing the circles touching the top and bottom lines.
We moved to Jonquil Lane in 1954, and I started second grade at Pond Gap elementary. We lived there until we moved to Hilo, Hawaii. We opened presents on Christmas morning, 1954, got in the car and drove to San Francisco.
November 5, 2011
February 9, 2013
