“Random thoughts of growing up Clinton and Oakton.”

    While I am thinking of teachers I cannot leave out Mrs. Martha Woodrow.  I remember taking algebra 1 as a freshman and our teacher had a nervous breakdown early in the year.  We had had at least three substitutes trying to fill in and did not do too well.  Our first semester was a wash.  Then, Martha walked into the room.  First thing she said, verbatim, “Children I do not know what I am doing here.  I am an art major and I was never good at math myself but they called me in to work.”  “I will have to study and stay one lesson ahead of you and you brighter students will have to help the rest of us.”  That was all that was needed to win us all over and we all worked together.  She started us off with the first chapter and in the second semester we finished the book.  She was honest with us and that is what kids need.

    My junior year I needed an elective so I chose ninth grade math as I had skipped it for Algebra 1 and 2.  I wanted something easy.  She found out that I loved art and after I got my work done she helped me with art.  She took me from flat pictures to using shadows to form a three dimensional look.  She was a gifted and dedicated teacher and a wonderful person.   After Frieda and I married she became one of our closest friends.

     Thinking of marriage brings to mind that It has been years since I have heard of pranks being played on newlyweds.  I remember when Gene and Doris Dowdy got married.  He was one of our Explorer scout leaders.  We borrowed a pair of handcuffs from state trooper Lawrence Gresham and handcuffed Gene and Doris through the steering wheel.  They were informed that the cuffs would not be removed until they led the wedding caravan through all the main streets of Clinton.  We also put a note on the gas cap suggesting anyone reading it congratulate them on their marriage.

   The meanest was pulled on Bill and Carol Morgan.  The reception was at Carol`s mom`s house.  We parked a car in front of their car and one behind it.  They were bumper to bumper.  Not being satisfied with that we jacked up the car and put a coke crate under the rear axle on both sides.  We then placed one half of a watermelon under each rear wheel.

  As I walked out the back door I noticed a crate of potato`s by the door.  Naturally I picked up two that were about the right size and jammed one up each tail pipe on their car.  I did not know then that Tom Morgan, bills twin brother, had done the same.  It was not until we were all trying to get them out later that we found out that David Samuel had done the same.  We did not get them out.  This was a period when it was popular to have cutouts placed on our cars to bypass the mufflers and have straight exhaust with the flip of a cap.  Bill opened up his cutouts and they were on their way.  I never did find out if he got a ticket for not having a muffler.

   I have heard of people putting limburger cheese on the manifold to stink when hot but I cannot attest to that as I never tried it.  Really, I never did.

I just got off the phone with John Miller and while we were talking I was thinking of how much fun we used to have.  We fished together all the time and before we got our license to drive we put many miles on our bicycles going fishing.  We loved surface baits and just would not use underwater baits.  His daddy, John Miller, was the veterinarian here then and must have been part marine biologist for he constantly pushed us to use deep running baits.  Boys, he would say, when you fish the bank with those surface baits the bass are behind you and deep in the water ninety percent of the time.

  But that was not what came to mind while we talked.  We were a part of a pack I guess you would call us and we were constantly thinking of something to pull on someone.  We wore out the old bell in front of the school at night.  John, Jack Jackson, Skip Muscovalley, Toby Brady, Ronnie Beck and sometimes a couple of others were always looking for a prank to pull.

    Mr. Jim Phillips and I had duck blind together years later and he mentioned some of the things we had pulled in school.  I said that he and his teachers must have been relieved when we all graduated.   He looked at me and said, “Bob you all were no trouble.  You were mischievous and into something all the time but you were a fun group of students.” 

     I will never forget how much he trusted my word.   One time “Gruder” accused me, falsely, of some infraction, in her class and marched me to his office and demanded he paddle me.  She was furious.  Now this would not be the first time he used his paddle on me but he told her to go on back to class and he would tend to me when he finished what he was doing.  When she was gone he asked me if I did it and I told him no way.  His reply was, “You always admit when you are guilty.”  “It is only ten minutes until next bell so have a seat and when it rings go on to your next class.”  He and I sat there and discussed him, me, Johnny and Joe Weatherford fly fishing at the Gore sister`s pond the day before.