Memories – Senior Year

When I started high school in September 1958, I was full of excitement and a lot of unknowns. I knew it would be different from junior high and I expected the classwork to be more difficult, probably the teachers would expect more to get good grades. I also knew by being older, that dating was part of that experience. I knew about football and other games because I had been to many of those with my older sister being in the Houstonettes.

I was probably smarter than my grades might show and I made pretty good grades, especially in the courses that I liked. I had made all “A” at times in elementary and the honor roll during junior high. Truth is, I did not care enough about making an “A” in every course. I had some Teachers who brought the “best” out of me and inspired me to work just a little bit harder to get that “A” and I have thought about them for all these years since. Mr. Miller in American History, made learning about America interesting and gave me a desire to know more. Mr. Harvey made me enjoy going to Algebra and Trig, he was a great Teacher who could help even the kids who did not much care about Math. Mr. Hirsh in Civics was like a big kid who kept us involved and waiting for what he might say next. We learned good things about the genius of our government system and just had fun in his class. Mr. Williamson in English and his so professional approach to Teaching and he would call on the students by Mr. or Miss and would walk around the room like he was in the military. He was a very good teacher and I enjoyed learning from him. There were many more, but that was the purpose of being there.

What I enjoyed the most about my high school years was the social part. Many of my classmates were kids I had gone to school with at junior high and some as far back as the 3^rd grade. We were older and able to go to games, the school had dances and other activities and we could go out on “dates”. At that time, high school included grades 10^th through 12^th so most of the kids could drive or soon would get their driver’s licenses. I worked after school and on weekends. Not to pay any family bills but to have some money for a few things I might want and mainly to have money for my social life. A good lesson I learned from my parents. “If you want to go on dates and do fun things, work for it and earn the money for that.” The beginning of my understanding “There are no free lunches, someone has to pay for them!”

For a shy kid, high school was like a butterfly just starting to gain its wings. A lot of trial and error. Lesson one, not every girl will say “yes” to going out with you, or at least not yet. I learned to try again with a different girl, learning another lesson “Never give up!” I was blessed that there were enough “yes” that I was always looking forward to the next chance to take a pretty girl to a game, dance, movie, or to just go and get a burger. Having a real conversation with a girl outside of the classroom was just fun and interesting. Sometimes she would share something about her life away from school. During the 10^th and 11^th grades, I dated many different girls, some from other high schools, but mostly from our school. None of those relationships got serious enough to use the term “going steady”.

I began my senior year in September 1960. Early in my senior year, my older sister, Joyce, asked me if I would like to go on a date with one of her co-workers at the bank. Joyce had graduated from Sam Houston in January 1959 and her co-worker, Pat had graduated from Sam in January 1960 and they had become good friends. Of course, I said yes, a little bit interested to see where that would go. Our first date was a double date with Joyce and Ted who got married in January 1960. I think it was a movie, but I don’t remember. After a few dates with Pat, it became clear that our relationship was more than I had experienced at least in terms of the number of dates with the same girl. When Pat used the term “going steady” to describe our relationship with someone, I knew it was different. It was different in many ways. On the days when I was not working after school, I would drive downtown to pick up Pat when she got off work at the Bank of Commence. We would go somewhere to get something to eat or to a movie at the drive-in theater where we would get something to eat there. Homework and studying were a lot less fun. Pat wore my class ring on her necklace and we would talk about the future together. Pat was included in our family events and it was clear that our relationship could lead to marriage.

During the spring semester of 1961, I decided that I would attend the University of Houston and not Texas A&M to study Architectural Engineering. That would allow me to live at home and work part-time. Another factor was, back in those days, A&M was a men’s school, and the “Corps” was a requirement. Pat and I continued to be with each other as often as possible and she was supportive of me going to college in September.

Our senior class had its senior picnic at the Texaco Country Club and most of the seniors went to it. That was right before our Prom. I had gone by and picked up Richard Smallwood on the way. It was a great day when everyone had a blast together. When it was time to leave, one of the girls did not have a way home so I offered to take her home. She did not live too far from Richard so it would not be out of my way. I don’t remember her name, we had some classes together but we never dated. I dropped Richard off at his house and went to take the girl home from there. Pat lived just around the corner from the Smallwood’s house and when I got close to her street, I saw Pat in her Dad’s car so I honked the horn and waved to her, and kept driving. A little while later when I talked to Pat, I realized a mistake I had made – well actually it was explained to me. Pat saw a pretty girl in my car with only me and that girl and I had not stopped to talk to her. I tried to explain that it was nothing more than a ride home for a classmate. That is when I first learned that some things can’t be explained away. Pat went to the Prom with me and I enjoyed the event, but it was different between Pat and me. All of the future together was gone. I got my class ring back and I gave her back some pictures she had made for me and it was over. In my mind, I had done nothing worth fighting over much less to break up our relationship. That was a new feeling for me.

Looking back on that later, I knew the relationship was not to be my future and I guess if it could not survive something as simple as that, then you could hardly have a lifelong relationship with many more difficult problems to be faced together. There are many more stories about “coulda, shoulda, woulda” in my life for me to get to where God wanted me to be. This is only part of “God had a plan” for my life that was far greater than I deserved.

Roy Orbison – It’s Over