Memories of 87 years by Bob

September 04, 2023

HIGH SCHOOL (Continued)

I guess I'll talk a little about academics as it may have shaped some of my other decisions. I think I mentioned before that I was a fairly good student (All As). Well that ceased in the 9th grade. I was told (by someone?) that an academic diploma was the only way to go if one wishes to go to a university. To obtain such a diploma a requirement was 2 years of a foreign language. Of course that was what I should do, right? In my freshman year I signed up for Spanish I as that seemed the most useful to me. That was not a good choice for me as it turned out. I found the class boring, mostly grammar and very little learning of phrases. I did, however, as did most boys in the class, love the teacher. She was young (by teacher standards) and very pretty. With that said I sludged through Spanish with a C average. My teacher told me she sensed a lack of dedication so maybe I should postpone Spanish II until I felt I was ready. I planned on taking the second class during my senior year but circumstances dictated otherwise. It turns out , for some reason, I was short in a history/social studies class, maybe because I took every math course offered. The math teacher, who was also assistant principal, was an absolutely genius at math. I couldn't get enough so I signed up for solid geometry and trigonometry which was not required. The only class available was Latin America Social Studies. Let me tell you that was boring! Still, the teacher almost failed me even though I never had a test score less than A. Turns out a major part of the class was a notebook, which I thought was voluntary, so when he asked for them, I said I didn't have one as I didn't need it. Woops! He called me in to tell me he was going to fail me even though my grades were fine. I went to see the principal and we reached a compromise. If I received an A on the final he would allow me to graduate. As it turns out he gave me a final grade of C to match the only other C in 12 years but at least I passed, and of course I did not get to take Spanish II. In spite of my grades I received 2 scholarship offers in music, one from Florida State and the other from Stetson University. In another mistake, I took the offer from Stetson as it was a "full tuition" scholarship. Another reason was that my friend Malcolm was going to Stetson also so it seemed like a perfect fit.: not so much! More on that in another segment.

My social life was pretty limited. First of all I didn't have a lot of excess time and secondly I didn't drive an auto until my senior year. As a sophomore I had 1 date with a girl in the band. She invited me to a cotillion dance (I had no idea what that was but she sure dressed nicely!) My dad drove us and picked us up from the dance. Exciting, huh??

I finally got around to learning to drive in my Junior year. I had a good friend who helped me a lot. His name was Ansel James Barkley (Corky). Corky was disabled with cerebral palsy but still managed to drive. He had a 50 Jeepster equipped for his special needs. Where most people would have quit Corky went full steam ahead and didn't let his physical issues bother him. He also played trombone in the band. Marching was out of the picture for him but he did everything else. I cherished our friendship. Many people avoid others with disabilities but I believe a person who does so misses a great opportunity. He was a caring, loving young man and he would have done anything to help me. As it happened he did help me. When I was taking the driving test I flunked twice, both times because I couldn't park in the allotted space. At the time my family was in one of our "prosperous" eras and my dad purchased a 1951 Lincoln. The thing was huge and no way could I fit it into a 17' space!. So, Corky arranged for me to borrow a car from the Barkley lot to take the test. Well, third time is the charm. I passed. That changed my life!