Worth 1,000 Words

I thought I had come across a truly terrific deal. A web site called "Scan My Photo" was having a fantastic promo option. They would scan 1000 photos for free; all you had to do was organize them a certain way before sending them, and pay a $20 shipping fee to get them back. $20 seemed cheap for scanning the photos, and postage would be extra, so I was more than happy to hear that was the whole cost.

(For those interested, the offer goes through August 28 and you can read about here)

I was thrilled because it was the perfect solution to what to do with all those photos that came out of the scrapbooks that Polly and Spencer tore up earlier this year. All of my grammar and high school photos are now in a big pile in a box, awaiting some sort of action. Scanning them would mean I could throw the originals away and still keep the photos.

But when I got ready to start organizing them to send to "Scan My Photo" and read the instructions, I see that the minimal size was 4x6 inches, and since I only had a Brownie box camera, my pictures are 3x3 inches. Owell. It was a nice idea.

Despite not being able to pack the photos up to be scanned, I did start going through them a bit, inspired by Jim's recent journal entries using some of his family's old photos, like this entry about fishing with his dad, with the cute pictures of Jim.

The first picture I picked up was this one

Her name then was Madelyn Powers and this must have been taken in 1956 or 57, our first year in high school. I don't know where it was taken. It can't have been at our school, since we certainly didn't have swings in our play area. We were grown up, after all.

Madelyn was my best friend for most of my four years in high school. In my last year, we formed more of a group. Madelyn was moving away from involvement with us and Joyce, Ann and Marge kind of moved into that place. But Madelyn was my first best high school friend.

She lived far enough away from me that I either needed a ride or to take the bus. The bus stopped a block from her house, so I usually did that. She also lived right around the corner from a movie theatre, which was convenient.

But there were two things, for me, that were cool about Madelyn's house. Her mother kept house like...well, like I do now. Casual is a polite way to put it. It was not the pristine "don't get anything out of place" house that my mother had. Madelyn could go for weeks without cleaning her room. We slept in a double bed together, on the floor. I don't think the sheets had been washed in months.

Her mother didn't much care what we did, so when I wanted to read a "bad" book ("Peyton Place"), which I knew my mother would never let me read, I went to Madelyn's to read it. Just sat in the house every day after school until I finished it, disappointed that it wasn't the "dirty book" I expected it to be.

The other cool thing was that her mother cooked sausage for breakfast. My mother was strictly a bacon mom and I loved the sausage, so I tried to arrange sleepovers at Madelyn's whenever I could.

[It's interesting thinking back on things that my best grammar school friend, Gayle, had a TV and we didn't, so I was forever wheedling an invitation to stay for dinner so I could watch TV; and now I was wheedling an invitation to spend the night at Madelyn's so I could have sausage for breakfast. Their mothers must have hated me! Mostly, I think I just wanted a break from my father's temper.]

My memories of Madelyn, this many years later, are spotty. I remember that I got my very first scar at her house, helping her carry a box from the back yard into the house. I dropped one end of it and a nail that was sticking out cut a gash in my wrist. It has faded to a tiny scar that I can barely find now.

I also remember when her brother got very sick. So sick he had to stay in bed. I don't remember what it was but it was kind of like a "good" kind of polio, that affected his ability to walk, but wasn't nearly as serious as polio. I think he spent some time in the hospital too.

I also remember that her grandmother lived in one of those mansions down on the Marina in San Francisco. It faced the yacht harbor, was about 3 or 4 stories tall and you could ride up and down in an elevator. She also had a real live maid. I never knew someone with a maid before. But the sad thing was that the grandmother had breast cancer and I remember seeing her once without her top and looking at one breast which looked like a sock with a tennis ball in it.

Madelyn married right out of high school to the brother of another of our classmates. But once she married we never heard from her again. Ever. We had rumors that she had given birth to something like 8 children. Every so often I'd try to find her, but always hit a dead end. It wasn't until the recent high school reunion when we learned that she died seven years ago, apparently living with one of her daughters in Tennessee. I still don't know what kind of life she had or why she cut off all ties with the rest of us.

But this photo, which I've now scanned myself, brings back lots of memories of those days, of Madelyn, and of the school, and of a really special time in my life. Many people hated their high school years, but I absolutely loved them.

Better Late than Never

Apparently old injustices are never forgotten! The very first thing one of the very first women to arrive at the 50th reunion of the St. Vincent High School graduating class of 1960 said to me was to remind me that our yearbooks had arrived late and so she never got her book signed by all of her classmates. She figured she'd remedy that situation by bringing the book to the reunion and having us sign there. One other person had done that too. I've lived with the guilt of that for 50 years and here I was at the start of this event, reminded of it right away!

I signed the book, "Better late than never. Sorry your book was late!"

See, the book was late in arriving because I, as the editor, was terrible at getting anybody to help me. My friend Anne (who did not attend the reunion) and I put it out almost single-handedly, missed most of the print deadlines, and thus it could not be delivered before graduation.

I will never forget that awful day when the printer gave me the bad news over the phone. I still remember that lonely walk back to class, knowing that everyone was going to hate me, and hearing Sister Zoe, our homeroom teacher bawling the class out for their lack of help on the book and telling them that nobody was to give me a hard time about it because they had brought the situation upon themselves.

Sister Zoe, who, it seemed, made it a point to give every single person in her class a hard time during the course of our year in her homeroom, had never been so kind to me and I always actually get very emotional when I remember how I felt on that fateful day.

And nobody did give me a hard time about it. Until yesterday, that is! When the books finally arrived, my friends, Anne, Joyce, Marge and I think Toni all had a great time delivering each book to every senior in the class (not a huge task, as there were only 60 of us). That was when I learned my away around, not just my own neighborhood in San Francisco, but all the other neighborhoods too,.

But yesterday, after 50 years, at least two of the graduating class of 1960 had a chance to get their books signed.

Della, Carol
Carmen

What a wonderful day it was! This was the event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the class of 1960 from both St. Vincent High School (all girls) and Sacred Heart High School (all boys).

I arrived at the school early. I have no emotional ties to this building, since the school we attended was long ago demolished. Not even the name survived.

It used to be St. Vincent High School, then Cathedral High School (since it was attached to the Cathedral which was built on the site where the original school stood). And then when it merged with the boys' school, it became "Cathedral-Sacred Heart." So the buildings are unfamiliar and the tuition today is definitely unfamiliar--I learned that in our day it was $150 a year, and is now $15,000 a year. A Catholic school education doesn't come cheap these days!

People began arriving. Eleven in all, out of a class of 60. At least two people were unable to come because of health problems and one had a family emergency at the last minute. But those who came thoroughly enjoyed the day. Rose deLuna had flown in from Texas to be there and it was great to see her.

Gail - Carmen - Me - Rose
(It's nice that Gail, Carmen and I were color coordinated!)

Of course I had to answer, more than once, the question I hate most of all: "How many children do you have?" My answer is always "we had five," and hope that nobody picks up on the past tense. This was not the occasion to get into the deaths of David and Paul. I usually deflect follow-up questions with "how about you?" or "How many children do you have?"

The most special part of the day was the presence of Sister Louise, our homeroom teacher, who is one of, I think, only two of the sisters who taught us who are still alive. The other, Sister Mary William, is ill and not able to travel.

Sister Louise told me that she had come because I had convinced her to, and I am happy to hear that! She was always one of my favorite teachers, and had been a good friend to Sister Anne, who was my lifelong friend, and after whom Jeri (Jerilyn Anne) is named.

There was a Mass to start things off. I can't remember the last Mass I attended. It was undoubtedly a funeral a few years ago. As one of the planners of the event (though my participation was definitely minimal), I was invited to participate in a part of the Mass, though given my feelings about the Church (which will probably be a shock for my former classmates to read here), I declined. I debated about taking communion, but then decided that my anger is at the institution of the Catholic Church, not at God and that if my taking communion angered Him, he could smite me. He didn't. He's a loving God after all.

During the course of the Mass, we were given "gold diplomas" and a pin that showed we are now part of the "Gold Club," which entitles us to attend a reunion luncheon each year. We also were given a slide show of memories of our class.

Then there were group photos taken by the professional photographer hired for the event (which will eventually be visible on the schools web site). I handed my camera to the friend of one of my classmates and she took some photos for me.

(my photographer didn't have as good an angle as
the professional did, and two women are hidden)

There was a no host bar...they make money on that for someone like me who doesn't drink. I had half a glass of wine and lots of bottled water!...and a chance to visit and check out the "memories" table.

There was a huge lunch, following which memories were offered by both the male graduates (lots and lots and lots of football stories, which we couldn't relate to at all, along with a singing of their school song, which we didn't know), and then memories by two women in our class, Dr. Rose Lewis, who was asked to talk about her own history, and I learned something I didn't know before. I knew she had retired as a plastic surgeon, but I didn't realize she was the very first African American woman in the United States to be trained as a plastic surgeon.

Rabbi Ruby Buffin read memories of the class of 1960, written by Sonia Guiterrez, who was unable to attend.

And when it was all over, nothing left to do but say our goodbyes.

Rose and I decided that we really need to continue the reminiscing and perhaps have some sort of social event that might be attended by those who came yesterday and those who weren't able to attend. She also pointed out the remarkable volunteer things our classmates have been involved in over the years and felt we needed to record such things. I am trying to figure out how to gather that sort of information...and what to do with it if I am successful!

Basically it was wonderful seeing these women again, remembering our years together in school, and seeing what wonderful women they have become.

All of the photos I took will eventually be available on Flickr (the uploader for Flickr is being very stubborn today (Sunday), and the upload is very, very slow, so they may not all be there if you check them too soon) and the Video can be seen by clicking on the link at the left, here.

(My mouth was open because the door was about

to slam shut and hit the professional photographer!)

It Seems So Long, Part 2

Writing my entry for yesterday, combined with reading l'empress' similar entry and her earlier high school entry got me to reminiscing more about those old high school days at St. Vincent's.

What sports did you play?

You know, I said yesterday that I was the editor of the yearbook. I was involved in so many activities that I am in photos on nearly every page of that yearbook -- Student Council, California Scholarship Federation, Legion of Mary, Sodality, yearbook staff, newspaper staff, glee club, something called "Federation" (I don't remember what that was), Living Rosary, dance committees, school play, vocation play (I was the nun), May crowning, fashion show. (yes, really--all of those.) But the pages where you will NOT find me is the sports pages. Hated sports, was rotten at sports. I may have played basketball because we all had to, but never when it counted.

What kind of car did you drive?

When I needed a car, the family vehicle, which was a Chevy (I think). Never had my own car. I'm 65 and I still have never had my own car.

Were you a party animal?

Bwahahaha. Definitely not. When we had get-togethers, they were quiet affairs, rarely co-ed (tho sometimes they were).

Were you considered a flirt?

Are you kidding? I was terrified of boys, which is why I dated the same guy from age 13 to 16, and then nobody seriously until the gay guy who was my leading man in the school play.

Can you sing the Alma Mater?

For the school that we love
We'll sing the praises
Loud and long to all
United firm, in pleasing words
Which can no [something] know
And tho the years may come and go
Years that are none too long
A memory deep
There's none so sweet
As our alma mater dear

Gag me with a spoon. I have no idea who wrote these lyrics, but they are abominable!

Who was your favorite teacher?

Sister Anne, who was my typing teacher (and also the sister in charge of all the sports teams). We formed a lifelong friendship, which continued to her death (I can't believe how young she looks in this photo!). Jeri's middle name is "Anne" because of Sister Anne. I was able to visit her, as an adult, when I went to St Louis for a meeting and she picked me up and brought me back to the motherhouse in Indiana, where she lived. Shortly after that she developed Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, which ultimately killed her shortly before Ned and Marta were married (I learned of her death when we sent her a wedding announcement)

Favorite class?

Yesterday I said French but it obviously was a toss-up between French and typing. I guess I think of typing as something I did for fun, and French as a more scholastic type of class!

Where did you go most often for lunch?

The school cafeteria. Sometimes I brought my lunch, sometimes bought it. I worked selling candy at lunchtime (got to steal a lot of chocolate that way!)

What do you remember most about graduation?

It's funny, but the strongest memory of graduation came after it was all over and I saw a classmate named Ruth Rose. Ruth is African American and we had a strange relationship, not exactly friends, but we liked each other. We were both in the better group in French, so we had that in common. We stood in front of each other after graduation and said "We'll probably never see each other again." We never did, until our 25th class reunion, which she attended. She left early, saying that her curiosity had been satisfied. I tried to find her again when I got e-mail, but her name is too common. She had become an attorney, I think, lived in Southern California, and had traveled around the world. She had become fluent in French, and had nothing good to say about her experiences in France and was sorry for the years she felt she "wasted" in learning the language.

Did you win any awards?

I was Salutatorian at graduation (#3 in a class of 60), which meant I wrote the class prayer. I also won the Vincenta award, which was an award for spirit, usually given to the biggest suck-up, which I definitely was! I am told that they no longer give the Vincenta award. I wonder what happened to the award itself--it was a great source of pride seeing my name engraved on the plaque.

Favorite Memory of your Senior year?

Definitely the school play. It was probably the signature event of my high school years. So many close friendships came out of that play. In fact, one of the guys we borrowed from the nearby boys' school recently died. I didn't know him well (though he dated my friend Anne), but I felt a pang at his loss

What did you do after graduation?

Immediately after graduation I was planning my entrance into the convent in September, so the summer was spent doing "last things" with my family, and packing my trunk. My mother, grandmother and I also went to Hawaii for a last vacation together. In August, Sister Anne, who had been transferred to Arizona the year before, came to talk with me and we decided to postpone my entrance, so I worked for six months at the school, while trying to decide if I really had "the calling" or not. Ultimately, I did not go. When I decided not to go, my father insisted that I enroll at UC Berkeley (it was much easier to get in then), and study to be a teacher. I lasted 1-1/2 semesters.

It Seems So Long...

It's been nearly 50 years since I graduated from high school. 48 years June 12, to be exact. How in the world did I get to be so old? I came across a meme about high school. I wonder if I can remember back that far...

1. What high school did you go to?

St. Vincent School in San Francisco. Most of the girls in my 8th grade graduating class went to Presentation, but I wanted to be an "individual," so I went to St. Vincent, which was significantly smaller (only 200 total in the 4-year student body). Only 3 of us from my grammar school went there. It had been the best high school in the city for secretarial training, and had just recently started a college prep program.

2. What year did you graduate?

1960

3. What were your favorite band(s) or artist(s):

Oh, I was so incredibly boring. I liked the crooners--Perry Como, Andy Williams and, of course, Judy Garland. When I started getting interested in rock music, my father got angry because he felt it was "junk music" and so I never let myself really listen to much rock.

4. What was your favorite outfit?

Well, since we were a Catholic school, we had no "favorite outfits." We wore a uniform. A plaid pleated skirt, white blouse, and green cardigan sweater or jacket (we had both), with white shoes. It certainly eliminated any discrimination based on wardrobe!

5. What was up with your hair?

Pretty much like this for 4 yrs!

6. Who were your best friend(s)?

We had a group that formed somewhere in sophomore year, I think. We were all involved with the Senior play in my senior year. My best friends were Joyce Villa and Anne Micheletti, and Margie Kempers was in the group, though she and I were never really close. I still hear from all three women at Christmas time, though I have only seen Joyce since graduation (I had lunch with her about 5 years ago). I am also still friends with my "big sister," Joycie, who graduated the year I was a freshman.

7. What did you do after school?

A lot of the time I stayed at school to help in the classroom. I was also newspaper editor and yearbook editor, so I frequently had work to do after school involving those two publications.

8. Where did you work?

I didn't really have an after school job. I just babysat for money, and remember having a summer job as a biller-clerk for a tool company. My "big sister" Joycie was working there at the time and got me the part time job.

9. Did you take the bus?

Usually, but we lived only a block from the cable car, so frequently I would take the cable car and then transfer to the bus. I loved riding the cable car to school!

10. Who did you have a crush on?

My typing teacher.

11. Did you have a boyfriend?

I dated Bill Farrington exclusively for three years (my first boyfriend), until he entered the Jesuits. For a time at the end of my Senior year, I dated my leading man in the school play (they imported boys for male roles in the shows), but in my more enlightened years, I now realize that he was almost certainly gay.

12. Did you fight with your parents?

Not really, until I decided to enter the convent. My father was furious; my mother supported me. Ultimately, I never did go, though I did have my trunk packed and my airplane ticket in hand.

13. Did you ever get detention?

Of course not. I was a good girl!

14. Favorite Subject?

French. I loved learning to speak a foreign language and when I went to college, French was my major.

15. Did you get into any major trouble?

See answer to #13!

16. Who did you have a CELEBRITY crush on?

Guess. LOL. Judy Garland, of course!

17. Did you smoke cigarettes?

I smoked one cigarette and realized I hated it and didn't feel cool at all. That was the end of my smoking career, thank goodness (given the history of lung problems on both sides of my family!)

18. Did you carry all of your books around in your backpack all day?

We didn't have backpacks in the 1950s. I carried books in my arms and kept the ones I wasn't using in my locker. (It was a very small school and you could get to your locker easily between classese)

19. Best event ever?

Ever? None stands out, but we did some unusual things, like the yearly "living rosary," where students formed the beads of a rosary and we ringed the inside pews of the cathedral and said the rosay and sang songs. It was kind of memorable.

20. Did you have a clique?

No. Not really. We had our group, but I don't think we were exclusive. And I was really part of a couple of groups--the one mentioned above and the ones who said the rosary every noontime in the school chapel.

21. Where was your Senior Prom?

I don't remember. Some hotel. I went with my neighbor and had an absolutely miserable time. He was a nice guy, but I didn't really like him, or like dancing with him, and was terrified he'd try to kiss me goodnight (he did, and I hated it).

22. Did you have a hangout?

There was a Fosters restaurant a couple of blocks from school where we would go after school occasionally, but no real "hangout" since we lived all over the city. Most memorable event at Fosters was when someone tripped and spilled coke down my back!

23. Admit it, were you popular?

No. But then "popular" takes on a different meaning in a girls' school.

24. Who did you want to be just like?

I think I was satisfied to be me. High school was really a very good time for me and I was active in a lot of things, from music to publications to religious groups, to school government. Everything but sports.

25. What did you want to be when you grew up?

In high school, a nun.

26. Where did you think you'd be at the age you are now?

In a convent somewhere.

27. What was the color of your yearbook?

It changed every year. In my senior year, when I was the editor, we had a white cover with red letters, and a bleeding red heart on it (because I had a special fondness for the Sacred Heart of Jesus).

28. What were the colors of your school?

Blue and white.

29. What was your school mascot?

I don't think we had one.

30. Do you miss your senior year?

Heck no. I LOVED my senior year, but to go back and be that age again and relive it all, no way!

BEVERLY ANNE WEST
Vincenta Editor

Legion Trea$urer ... "Will I ever finish?" ...
Tip-top typist ... avid Judy Garland fan ... definite
aversion to science ... day dreams of ??? ...
another member of the clan ... "Oh, yes, Anne!" ...
Feature writer of the N.N.N. ...ambition: D.C.

Ahhha...that cutesy "in" stuff. The "N.N.N." was a newsletter called, if
I remember correctly, "The Nasty Noogie News." I can't remember what
it contained--but just for our own little group. "D.C." is Daughter of Charity.

(I also can't believe that anybody made me treasurer of anything!)