English High School - Englishman Yearbook (English, IN)

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the window. When we boarde.d the plane this girl sat down beside me. We got into a conversation, naturally. She told me that she was a Nurse in a Virginia hospital and this was her first vacation since she had become an R. N. As she talked I finally recognized it was Francie De Witt, the little girl who was always ready to help anyone in need. The first night in Madrid, Francie and I decided to go to the Arena to see a bull- fight. The toreador was a young girl, with long brown hair. She was so fair com- plected we knew she wasn't a native Spainard. It wasn't long until she had the bull laid out cold. Picking up her red and gold cape she made her way to her dressing room. Francie and I went to see if we could get a closer look at the beautiful young girl. In a short while out came the girl dressed in a plain linen dress with a silk shawl casually thrown about her shoulders. It was Anna Mills, After a few tears, kisses, and hugs, we went to a little restaurant to talk. Anna explained how she became a bullfighter down on her Crawford County farm then decided to come to Spain where she could really make some money. A few days later I landed in Cuba. I registered at a small hotel. That evening at dinner I noticed an American girl at the next table. I was about to go over and ask her name when she left the restaurant. The next morning she occupied the same table, She looked so much like a girl I had gone to school with. She sat there for awhile then I went over to talk to her. I was right, it was Betty Lou Morris, She was a Secretary to the director of a large clothing firm. She had be- come tired of pounding typewriter keys and wanted to see the world. She hinted that she had found her man and in a short while they were going to be married. After I left Cuba I went to Tampa, Florida, with all the beautiful scenery and southern hospitality, I made up my mind to stay for awhile, I took a cab to go sight-seeing. I was enjoying the scenery when we came to a strange looking building. I wanted to stop for a few minutes, so the driver said we could stop and look around but he didn't think anyone but certain scientists we re allowed to go in. I was walking around admiring the building when the door opened and out walked two distinguished gentlemen. The two men stopped to talk and I realized who they were -- Russell Newkirk and Dale Roberson. Dale asked me to tell who I was and what I was doing. I finally convinced him that I wasn't a spy. At dinner that evening Russell said he was in Florida on a vacation, but he was also studying. He was working on a rocket ship to the moon, he said he never did like to travel slowly. Dale couldn't tell me exactly what he was doing since he was working for Uncle Sam. I spent afew more days in Florida, then I moved on to Nashville, I was for- tunate to get into Nashville in time to get a ticket for the Grand Ole Opry. I had always wanted to go the re very much. That night I was enjoying myself when I heard a familiar laugh, I looked around and there sat an old classmate of mine. Yes, it was Leon Belcher. After the show we left the building and Leon intro- duced his wife to me. He asked me if I didn't remember her, but I could.n't seem to place her. He told me that he had married the girl from Marengo that I had

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That night at the theater the star looked familiar to me. As he came closer and closer I realized that it was Robert Shafer who had played Grandpa in the famous E. H, S. play, Headin' for a Weddin' . After the curtain calls I went backstage with the intention of talking to Bob, He told me how he had become a famous star after many years of work and study. He said that John Stephenson had been a big game hunter in Africa but since Tarzan had retired John had taken his place. The next morning I arose early because I was anxious to be on my way. I was soon ready to leave on the ship, The Queen Anne , all except getting something to read. I was undecided where to go to buy some books when I saw a large neon sign flashing across from my hotel. I crossed over and went in. There were heavy rugs and beautiful lighting and everything to make you feel at home. I was undecided which books to buy because the re were rows and rows of them. I asked the propri- etor if he could suggest some books to me. In his soft talking voice he told me about the books and suggested some he thought I would like. As I listened to him I thought surely I have seen him' before. I finally asked him his name, He said, I'm David Patton, I used to live in English, Indiana . After I told him who I was we talked as long as we could. David told me how he used to help in his grandfather's bookstore in English and decided to follow in his footsteps. I left the book store and went to the harbor to board the Queen Anne for France. ' One of the acts the first night out was a trio of singers known as the Merry Makers. The girls were Loretta Smith, Hazel Zehr, and Patsy Patton. We spent most of the trip together. I told them about our classmates. Loretta and Pat had married the boys they went with in high school but Hazel was still playing the field. When our ship landed on the shores of the beautiful Seine River I was escorted to a very large building and taken to a beautiful furnished room where a tall hand- some man arose to greet me. I thought there was something very familiar about him as he asked me que stions. Finally when he came to my background he instant- ly recognized me and asked if I didn't know him. When he told me Where he came froml knew in a moment it was our own Bob Bullington, Needless to say our con- versation turned to the good old days at English High, Time flew by fast, when closing time came we had so many more things to talk about that Bob asked me to go home with him to meet his wife and little girl, The next afternoon I went to a fashion show. As I sat there trying to decide which dress I liked best I dropped my purse. The girl sitting beside me was trying to help me locate it and when we raised up I saw it was little Rita Horton. We shook hands and agreed to meet for dinner that night. Rita said she would have a surprise for me. At 8:30 Rita promptly arrived escorted by a'handsome young Frenchman. Rita introduced us and told me they were to be married soon. Rita said her fiance was President of a large perfurne company. Rita always was fond of good pe rfume. We talked a long time about our friends and the places we had visited. They drove me to the hotel leaving me with good wishes of a happy jour- ney, I left Paris for Madrid, Spain, the land of my dreams. While I was waiting to get my plane ticket to Spain I noticed an efficient looking young woman standing by

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once met. Leon had studied Agriculture at Purdue University and had moved down South to help the poor farmers there. He said the town was friendly and that he enjoyed his work very much. I enjoyed my visit with Leon and his wife very much but I left the next day for the state of Kentucky, land of fine horses and beautiful women. I toured Kentucky for several days and then decided that I would go to Louisville to shop. I remem- bered the time that the chemistry class had gone to Louisville and also the trip there that the Junior Leaders had taken. After the shopping I was tired. For relaxation I decided that I would go see a show that was playing, I had lost my glasses no telling where, There was nothing to do but go and find an optometrist. I started up the street in the main part of town, and there I saw a sign which read, Jerry's for quick service and low prices , I opened the door and went in. The re in the well furnished room sat the op- tometrist busy as he could be. He asked what he could do for me. I thought his smile was the same as a Jerry I had known in high school. I told him my name and that I had lost my glasses. He said that he had known a girl that was always losing her glasses and thought the name sounded the same. We both smiled and shook hands and he told me if I would sit down and wait a few minutes we would go and get something to eat. Jerry told me that he had become an optometrist be- cause so many in our high school had worn glasses and so many more needed them. He had invented a different type of glasses. Some that made you look prettier when you wore them and put the price down so that people that really needed glasses could buy them. While I was waiting for Jerry to finish my glasses, I did some more shopping, I bought a new Chevrolet. After I picked up my glasses I was driving down one of the Fort Knox streets when I saw a trim blonde in a Captain's uniform. It couldn't be, but it was -- Jean Swecker in the Army!! I parked my Chevy and quickly caught up with Jean, She said that she couldn't let her husband get ahead of her, so she had enlisted and now out-ranked him, The main reason was that she just wanted to be near him. Jean showed me around the camp. I didn't stay there very long be cause my time was running out. On my way back home to Louisiana I planned to visit the last remaining class- mate, Sue Sears. I would be double glad to see Carol Sue because she and her husband lived on the plantation next to mine and I was getting anxious to be home. 'As I drove down the tree-shaded drive to Sue's house I saw her beside the swimming pool watching her four little boys swim. Sue and I talked for hours, as usual. I told her of my adventures. Finally I left Sue and drove home. The first person I saw was my tall, hand- some husband, the person I wanted to see most. Just as our twin boys came