North Carolina School for the Deaf - Clock Tower Yearbook (Morganton, NC)

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I prayed God to make it rain so they couldn’t go to the movies. Sometimes I received boxes. I refused to give anything to those who had been mad with me. I gave small pieces of cake or candy to my girl friends. When we went to bed, the children al- ways scared me. They told me not to keep my eyes open. They said, “If you keep your eyes open, youll see the devil playing around the room.” I was afraid when they told me many foolish things. I stayed in the primary building for three years. I had much fun playing with the children. I came to Main Building when I was ten years old. I have been in school for thirteen years and I feel at home here, now. Camping at Clearwater Beach By JosEPH BLAYLOCK Our boys have been going camping in the spring time ever since I was in the third grade. The first year the boys whose conduct had been good went camping at Clearwater Beach, while those whose conduct was bad had to stay here. We then had the merit and demerit plan. When a boy got below the required number of merits, he could not go camping. In May 1928 some of the boys and I rolled up our blankets and put them on our shoulders and got ready to go to camp. The boys were divided into four groups that took turns in riding in the truck. While one group rode, the other three walked and in this way we got to the camping grounds. Clearwater Beach was formed by sand washed up by the flood of 1916. It is at the junction of two beautiful mountain streams. There are a number of houses, a store and several camps there. There is a water fall and below it is a splendid natural swimming pool. It is a fine place to camp. It is about fourteen miles from Morganton. The older boys pitched two large tents at the beach. Some of the boys who had only a few merits, peeled the Irish potatoes, cut the wood, and washed the utensils. We played baseball, pitched horseshoes and went fishing and frog hunting. © That night we made a bon-fire. Then Mr. Underhill, our printing instructor, told us some ghost stories. After this, we played tug of war and Indian games. Then we toasted marsh- mallows. Each of our boys had a candle. We went to the tents holding candles. About midnight a few boys and I couldn’t sleep because the sand hurt our backs. We were restless that night. We got up and went out and lay down beside the fire until morning. The next morning we went to a small store where they sold soft drinks, candies and cookies. We bought some things. Then we took some pictures and went on a long hike. We had a fine dinner. That afternoon we came back to school. All of us were sunburned. A Happy Recollection By HAywarp WRIGHT When I entered school in 1925, I remember myself being led to the principal’s office which was in Goodwin Hall. I was greeted by Miss Sarah Lewis. Then I was taken to the boys’ room. Fortunately, I had a brother, Hoyle, with me and [ was not lonesome, but I was frightened by the stares of new pupils. The next day we were taken to the girls’ play room. There we were classified. I shall never forget that day. My first teacher, Mrs. Clodfelter, came to me and greeted me and took my hand and led me to her class room with her other pupils. I remember that I sat staring at the room and smiling whenever my teacher passed me. The class rooms were in Goodwin Hall at that time. Since then a nice primary school building called East Hall has been built. I still remember how I learned my name. Mrs. Clodfelter placed me before a mirror and she spoke my name and I tried to say it. After several efforts, I succeeded in speaking my name. I remember I loved to count the numbers and name things as she pointed to them on the chart. The next year Miss Marjorie Gordon was

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Memories ne My Recollections of School By LAVERNE PALMER One time when I was seven years old, my aunt and mother were very busy making me some clothes. I did not understand why they were doing it. Mother made gestures to me and tried to make me understand that I would go away, but I did not understand her. I was very happy and I thought I might go to a picnic and have some ice cream. At last the day for the school to start came. I put on a pretty white dress and was so excited that I didn’t know what to do. I came here in a car. I felt strange because I had never gone that far from home before. When I went to Goodwin Hall, my aunt met Miss Lewis, our supervising teacher at that time, and told her about me. Aunt Emma bid me good-bye. I shook my head. Miss Hattie took hold of me and I kicked very hard and cried. Aunt Emma made gestures to me and made me understand that I might go home in a few days. I stopped crying. Many girls came to me and signed. I tried to find out what they were talking about but I didn’t understand them. Emma Coley signed and made faces at me. I was frightened. That night I refused to undress because I was afraid to sleep in the dormitory but Miss Carrie took off my clothes and put me to bed and I soon fell asleep. The next morning we were divided into classes. Mrs. Clodfelter was my first teacher. We had a good time drawing some pictures the first day. I continued thinking of going home in a few days, but my aunt never came and soon I forgot about it. There was one tree on the campus that we thought was a wishing tree. A few girls and I knocked on the tree every day and made a wish hoping that our parents would hear us. We signed that we wanted some boxes of things to eat. Some boxes for them came but not for me. I was mad and cried. I tried knocking on the tree again hoping that I would get a box. Some- times I got one. We believed in the wishing tree. The tree is still at Goodwin Hall and is a very tall tulip poplar tree. Whenever I go to Good- win Hall to darn and patch the clothes for Miss Ethel, I see the tree and it reminds me of when I was a little girl. I don’t know whether the children at Goodwin Hall still believe in the wishing tree or not. When I First Came to School By LILLIaNn McCorRQUODALE In March before I came to school, my mother died. Mrs. Fortune and several of our deaf friends made me some dresses and packed my trunk. I knew that I was going to school because my deaf sister had explained to me about this school. I didn’t cry when I left home because my sister, Rosa, came with me. On the train I was astonished to see many deaf children gathering around me. They asked me if I was going to school. They were surprised to find that I could sign. I was so restless and asked Rosa many times where our school was. At last we reached Morganton. On the way to Goodwin Hall I stared at the buildings as I had never seen such large buildings before. Miss Caxrie Whistenhunt put me to bed and I slept with Rosa. I refused to sleep alone. In the morning Miss Lewis, the supervising teacher, divided us into classes. Miss Taylor was my first teacher. Soon I learned many funny ideas from the children. Whenever the girls got mad with me,

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my teacher. The only thing, I can remember about it, is that I tried to spell and write “raisins” and it was many years before I could spell it correctly. In my third year I remember that we had a new lesson, “What happened?” Mrs. Clodfelter, then a supervising teacher, was trying to teach us the lesson. She dropped and broke a saucer and asked us what happened and I remember that I said, “It broke,’ and that’s how I learned “What happened?” In the fall I was transferred to Main Building. I have had so many happy times here that I can not remember them all, but I have enjoyed my school life and I hope I shall never forget what this school has done to me and what I might have been if I had never been sent to school. Some Queer Ideas I Have Had By CATHERINE MOorRE While I was a little girl at Goodwin Hall, I was very superstitious and had very queer ideas. Carrie Morgan told me that I could get a box at any time I wanted them if I would talk to the wishing tree and it would tell my mother. I didn’t believe her at first so one evening we went out for a while. Carrie told me to go with her to a tulip poplar tree near the girls’ play ground. We went there and she knocked on the trunk of the tree three times and said, “Mother, Mother, are you there? I want a box.” I watched her. The next day she got a box and I thought it was true about the tree. Every day I talked to the tree, but the box never came. Some years later I found out it wasn’t so about the tree. Helen Hege made us believe that if the light flickered, it meant that it was displeased with us for our misbehavior and that we should beg it to forgive us. Every time the light flickered, I was frightened and clasped my hands as if I were worshipping it and said, “Please forgive me.” After a while it stopped flickering and I believed it was pleased with me for being good. One day it rained so we stayed indoors. We were talking about the rain. I don’t know where I got the idea, but I said the rain was God’s tears. He cried when somebody displeased Him. I did something bad in school and it rained that day. I was unhappy all day because I thought God was crying because I was a bad girl. One day we were talking about the angels. I was rather “bossy” when I was little and commanded little girls to obey me. I told them that I should be the head of the angels and that I would wear a blue robe and very large wings. One of the girls wanted to wear a blue robe, too and cried because she thought I had stolen the idea from her. We were like a pair of cats. I slapped her face and she slapped mine, too. That night I prayed to God to let me have a blue robe. The next morning I told the girl that I could wear the blue robe. She cried. But now I have found out that it was only a foolish idea. I can not recollect any more of my childish fancies. A Recollection of Christmas By Evstt READLING When I was a child, I believed firmly in Santa Claus. I believed that he lived in the North and made toys and other things during spring, summer and fall, then carried them to the children’s houses at Christmas time. When I was ten years old, I went to church on Christmas Eve. Santa Claus was always there every year to greet little children. When he patted a little girl who sat beside me, I stared at his mask and I began to realize that he was not a real Santa Claus. When I went home, Daddy sat in front of a fireplace with me on his lap looking into the fire. “Daddy,” I said, “Santa Claus is not real.” He laughed and asked me why I thought so, I told him that if Santa Claus climbed down the chimney, his clothes would be black from the soot. Be- sides this there were many, many people in the United States and Santa Claus couldn’t go to every house at midnight. That’s how I dis- covered that there was no Santa Claus at all. I felt rather sad because I had liked to believe in Santa Claus.