My first memories from childhood started when I was 6 years old and our family moved for a short period to Tucson, Arizona. My mother explained our move in a note to me:
“We moved to Tucson, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, in June of 1967 to May 31, 1968, the day that Dad retired from the Air Force. You were in first grade in Tucson, but you never went to kindergarten because they didn’t have kindergarten in Luck, Wisconsin until 1968. Until that time kindergartners went to 6 weeks of summer school before they started first grade, but since that was the summer we left for Tucson, you didn’t go.”
My sister and I were fortunate that our school, Lowell H. Smith Elementary, was just across the street from where we lived. Technically we could jump the school fence to get there in just a few minutes, but the proper way was to walk around the block and go in through the front doors. I recall that on the way to school, we had to walk fast in certain places to avoid fire ants.
I went to first grade on one side of the building. My sister, Barb, went to third grade on the other side. Occasionally the classes would co-mingle during events and lunch. Apparently I was the best reader in my class of 27. I remember one classmate who would eat paste. This was the type that was non-toxic, not Elmer’s glue. She had blond hair and a pale complexion. I thought that was because of the paste she was eating.
The ‘Cold War’ with Russia was in full swing. We were taught the ‘duck and cover’ technique of hiding under our desks. My favorite part was when we were allowed to run home as part of the ‘save your butt’ exercises. This was one time I was allowed to go straight home and jump the school fence.
In 1978, I took a solo summer trip to California in my car. On my way back to Wisconsin, I stopped by the old neighborhood to get some photos of 2210 Albro Blvd, where we used to live, and of the elementary school.
Some of My School Papers – Click an image to open lightbox viewer
