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Memories . . . It seems like yesterday I was gagging in football practice and trying to stay awake in Miss Seaholm's English class (not even drugs could have helped that) and the most critical decision was what Danny Eisenhauer and I were gonna do that Friday or Saturday after the game... maybe buy some beer from the drive-in on out on Austin Hwy (that sold to minors? nawwww)... and sneak out to Kirby ...and we thought life was complicated then! ~ Robin Harris, May 2003 DRESS CODE: I was chatting with "Smarty" Marty Seal last week about our reunion. Marty's son, Will, is a sophomore at Alamo Heights and she tells me that Will shows his pals his mom's picture in our senior class photo on the school wall. One of the stories he shares with them is how his mom and her friends bucked the establishment and changed the AHHS dress code. Revolutionaries that we were, we laid out a plan - chose our co-conspirators well. We needed clout - so we needed to have "A" team girls - honor roll and student council - as well as "radicals". This was a plan that should have gone awry - one of those where everyone says they're "in", but chickens out when the time comes. What was this revolutionary plan? The plan was for girls to come to school wearing … PANTS! It was winter and it was cold - so that was our case. This had very little to do with why we felt we should have the right to wear pants to school - but the "cold legs in skirts" argument carried weight. We set a date. When that morning arrived we were amazed - there were actually girls (other than ourselves) in first period classes wearing pants - lots of us! (I have no recollection of an argument with my parents about this. Did our parents agree? Curious?) The bell rang and "the voice" came over the loud speaker ordering us to leave the school grounds - to return wearing skirts. We left our classes and a small faction of us walked across the street to the SUPERINTENDANT'S office to present and argue our case. (We had never been to that office - this was huge!) I remember that it didn't go badly - but it didn't go well. It really didn't matter - the best part was when we left. We had bucked the system, bucked the establishment and we had a feeling of solidarity! We were a united front! We didn't expect success; we were making a statement! So, we were amazed when the announcement came over the loud speaker that same afternoon. Cheers went up - the dress code had been changed - girls could wear PANTS (polyester pantsuits, I fear?) to school! ~ Laurie Murray June 2001 My first year of school began in fall of 1958 at Howard Elementary School on Broadway. My 1st grade teacher was Mrs. Poteet. On my first day I sat next to a girl named Debbie Forsman, who told me I couldn't be there because I wasn't six years old. I remember one of the readers that we used, written by Mrs. Poteet, was entitled Away We Go to Mexico. My 2nd grade teacher was Mrs. Smith, a "get on a broom fly around the room " sort of teacher. I seem to remember that me & a classmate by the name of Richard Yantis got the fire paddle treatment more than anyone in the room that year (don't seem to remember we deserved that much discipline). My 3rd grade teacher was Mrs. Ziegler, she was great! I remember putting a Kennedy/Johnson campaign sticker on the fender of my bicycle that year. In January of 1961 we put up a portrait of the new President, under the flag in the classroom. My 4th grade teacher was Mrs. Lee. My grades seemed to seesaw a good bit that year & I had Mrs. Cates for 4th grade the next year. She was great! I always think of her fondly. My 5th grade teacher was Mrs. Jackson, WOW; she was the prettiest teacher I ever had. 5th grade was one of the best classes I remember, lots of fun. My 6th grade teacher was Mrs. McDonald. Tough Class that year. Arithmetic was especially hard. With a little luck I moved up to Jr. high school. Lots of different people there! WOW, can't forget all those good-looking girls! I can't seem to remember but a few teachers: Miss Gambrell, Mrs. Cope, Mr. Boyd, Mrs. Boswell, Coaches Haas, Young, and Ivy. Was that English teacher's name Mrs. Hopper? Of course, I can't forget the "way too serious" math teacher Mr. Miller. I do remember the "great cafeteria boycott", 2 days I think it was. Fall 1967 - my first day at the high school. That first day I rode to school in a great big old '59 DeSoto with my older sister and her friends. Spent way too much time having fun and not enough time working. I ended up taking summer school. Fall of 1968 - I start my sophomore year. I stopped riding my bicycle to school because it wasn't cool enough. I rode to school with Kenny Manhoff in that blue hot rod mustang of his. I got real interested in cars and how to make them go fast. Fall of 1969 - I started my junior year in the Industrial Cooperative Training program. Mr. Guy Cope was the ICT coordinator. I guess Mr. Corner, the shop teacher, and Mr. Cope were the two teachers who made the biggest impression on me. I really did like Mr. Middleton though. In my senior year I really had to get busy. I made some fair grades that year and graduated with my class. What a time, what a ceremony, I never thought I would make it ~ William Dinius After reading in the memory lane page a few very old memories began to surface. Would hate to admit a lot of them! My 12 year old came in from school and proceeded to tell me he was going to go toilet paper a few houses tonight! Brought back a lot of memories! He informed me he could do it because I used to. What could I say? I said no! Monterrey, yes I remember and don't remember?!! I do remember riding a donkey up or down "Horse Tail (Shoe?) Falls", this little boy kept jumping on the back of my donkey demanding in Spanish something and I kept pushing him off. Later I found out why, the stupid donkey stopped, but started at his Spanish command! Pat's Drug Store on the corner had the best hamburgers, I still can't find one as good! Bean rolls every Wed, Thurs or Fri.? Can't find those either. The Donkey Lady, couldn't seem to ever see her but we must have tried every weekend! Does anyone remember "Ohm Sat Tat"? (sp)? Some nudist club or community? We would go and park the cars across the street and wait? For what I am not sure even now of! The Big Orange was the greatest hang out! The Beach Boys, Peter, Paul and Mary? Should I say more? I was a Surfer!! Not a Kicker!! A little corny but fun to think about. Beverly Grogan why were we a member of the gun club? Ha! All the slumber parties Melanie, Robin, Sandy, Beverly and so many I can't recall. To bad I haven't kept in touch ~ Pati Earhart Zimmermann My memories of my classmates seem to be food related. Every time I have an artichoke, I can see the dining room of Sandra Freeborn's house on Newberry Terrace and remember how I first learned to eat one with her mothers' guidance. The first papaya I ever had was in the kitchen of Peggy Becker's home. I had shrimp cocktail at Mike Lyman's while listening to stories about his father's Naval career. There were dinners out with Mike Nedler and the conversations were so good, I can't remember what we ate. Then there were the many nights baking cookies and cakes for my football buddy, Max Wier. The first Hallah I ever saw was at Jill Biskin's house where she taught me how to braid it. She made it look so easy. Many a chopped barbeque were shared during lunch with Meredith Wheeler at the Bun-N-Barrel. Remember when they were 6 for a dollar? Many a bean burger was shared at Sill's Snack Shack with who ever would come. I was taught the joy of a half an avocado with French dressing at Marty Seals house. I had Tofu turkey in Denton with Florence Bunten. I remember well the plate of food Kay Stewart took from the dorm café at college and lacquered it and then hung it on her dorm door. I remember all too well the day I sent pimento cheese to Kathleen Curry's house. It was the day her husband passed away. ~ Emily Miller Scano · Mrs. Nix and Mrs Crouch's Spanish classes at the Junior school. Rolling your rrrrrs: canyon, onion... I think Jamie Baskin crawled out Mrs. Nix's window, came back in the door and she never noticed. · I remember dancing to Doug and the band singing "Wait 'till The Midnight Hour" and "Mustang Sally" at the Mule Stall. It was a million degrees in there, so we'd go outside and cool off. Black and strobe lights and posters made with bubble letters and florescent poster paint. · Someone got so drunk on the Spanish class trip to Piedras Negras that she fell getting back on the bus and had this HUGE goose egg on her forehead. Who WAS that? · Chuck Worrel came to teach and opened up a new, exciting and scary political world... We read Black Like Me and learned about the Dave Dellinger and the Chicago Seven. · I distinctly remember Mr. Blackhaller and his section on World War II when he brought all his Nazi memorabilia-so bizarre! How offensive was that! Remember his toupee? Poor man... · Coach Walkup and the golf team. · The day that we all wore pantsuits as a protest about girls not being allowed to wear pants to school. We had to go into the bathroom to take the pants off and just wear the (Polyester) tops (which were probably longer than most of our dresses)...or be sent home! Mary O'Neill and who else? · A bunch of us drinking and smoking cigarettes up behind TMI at the dead end road above the cliff and then going to a basketball game and getting caught "under the influence" by Simo. We all got black marks on our records and in DEEP trouble in Spurs. I swear it was something about drinking in uniform... We all had to go in to her seperately and fess up. · Riding the bus to the Alamo with Jill Rips to attend my very first peace march. I remember making the peace sign and the bell bottoms that I wore. Arlo Guthrie and Alice's restaurant and John Sebastian. · Wearing black arm bands to school to protest the War and getting another black mark on my permanent record. I remember Genevieve Kerr sort of organizing the protest. · Going full speed down the huge hill at Laurel Heights Baptist Church in Becky Shaver's White Rat...and to the DQ on Austin Highway with about 8 of us in the car. · Listening to the sound track to "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" on Bobby Hasslocher's 8-track on the way to and from the coast. The dirty magazines and fudgesicles at the ISLAND FOOD STORE at P.A. The smell of baby oil and iodine and Bain de Soliel mixed with salt air and the smell of offshore oil rigs. · What a magical time...Sorry. I got carried away..... ~ Lili Simpson -Cruising on Friday nights with the "safest driver in San Antonio" (Doug Barnes). -Going to Night in Old San Antonio with Charlie Gates and seeing who could get the tallest stack of "cups". -Playing trombone in the River Parade with Ellen Maniatis on cornet and Steve Hooper on drums. Herb Alpert was BIG! -Marching band practice at 7a.m., and hearing "Little Red Riding Hood" and "In the Ghetto" on my wake-up radio. -Mr. Cranford's battery-powered megaphone. -Margi Lowery-I know who painted your Cupid in the artroom storage area! -Playing the "Fight Song" at football games and pep rallies. -Going to Port Aransas with Mondo Chincarini in his lime-green Roadrunner. -Riding in the backs of pickup trucks. -Marty Seals' smile-I loved English class because of you. -Throwing spitballs during Spanish class. -Being the only cowboy in a school full of hippies. -First love, first heartbreak-OUCH! ~ Worth Christian · Poker games in Bobby Tankersley's garage. · Skipping school to: get high; go to Edge Falls; whatever <g>. · "Get a haircut!" · Marching in the Battle of Flowers parade. · Sweethearts: Lori Payne and Linda Mason. I still love ya <smile>! · Mexican food Wednesdays, Jim's Frontier and El Nacho Grande. · Affixing a Salem cigarettes decal to band director Cranford's office window. · Bottle rocket wars. · Makin' out in the band hall. · Parties and poker at McDougal's place out I10. Or were they post-71? Can't remember clearly <g>. · Star Trek on Friday nights. If there wasn't something better to do <g>. · Unauthorized experiments in Mr. Payne's physics classroom. · Rock and roll!! ~ Bowen Moursund Nice memories - being a member of the choir under Mr. Greenlee (all 4 yrs), being in Spurs, and participating in the musical "Finnian's Rainbow" ~ Shelley Daniel Janicek Favorite memories of the times: The Apollo Program & Hemisfair 68. Favorite memories of school: · Winning Third Place in "Number Sense" at a regional math competition, and bringing the trophy back to the school. · "Uncle Walt" giving me the "Rapier-Like Thrust of the Mind Award," for simultaneously taking both his course in Analytical Geometry and the calculus course for which it was a prerequisite. · Participating in a school-sponsored trip to Pittsburgh, to present a paper on the use of a time-share computer in the modeling of planetary motions. · Working for the Olmos. · Being published in the school's literary magazine (was it called "The Quill and Scroll"? I cannot recall for certain). I think I had two pieces published, but I cannot recall that for certain either. SIDE NOTE: IF anyone reading this collection of thoughts can lay their hands on an issue of the literary magazine that includes a submission of mine, I would be briefly grateful if you were to send me a Xerox (or scanned image) of the page(s). I say "briefly," because I fear my approaching-middle-aged-perceptions might become mortified if I were to read something that, 30 years ago, I thought worthy of publication. However, I am willing to take that chance. Least favorite memory of the school: The fact that three of my most favorite memories relate to math and science, and not to social interactions. ~ Excerpt from: Thoughts on my High School days, by Charlie Beck. ~ Copyright © 2001, Charles E. Beck, P.E., Bothell, Washington. walking to Sunset Ridge to eat lunch at that corner drug store. sitting at MR M's waiting for first bell to ring. Hanging with friends at south wing waiting for the Police Officer whose name I will remember soon, to come up and run us off to class. going to the Mule Stall Skipping class to go to Edge Falls or Stinky Park The heavy set Hispanic disciplinarian (Mr Ortiz) who stalked the hallways looking for smokers. The group who stole the TMI cannon and painted it pink Driving to Zarzua Mexican food on sunset drive. I walked to school every day from Chateau Dijon. My group I hung with included Bobby Tankersly, Mark Monical, Keith and Kent Stevens, Cindy Holmes. Keith Stevenson. My High School Sweethearts were Sandra Bogart, Patty Lumpkin & Margo Gobel I remember my Senior Year being eligible for the Draft to go fight during the height of the Vietnam War. The Military had a live in recruiter in the main office registering anyone who was 18yo and ready to fight. Favorite teacher was Ms. Sandra Ketter - Drama teacher Mr. Funk math teacher I remember when the library got headsets. We all had 8 track tapes in our cars JAM Productions was bringing amazing rock bands to San Antonio every week. I can remember seeing Jimi Hendrix, Led Zepplin Jethro Tull and many others at Convention Center and Municipal Aud. You never had enough money to see all the good bands that came one after the other. Went to Teen Canteen at the airport Went to some psychedelic music hangout were Mamas restaurant is now on San Pedro. You paid at the front door and once inside you could sit on huge platforms and listen to rock music while spaced-out images played on the walls and ceilings or you could rent private bungalows out back to party in. If Bowen lived in Olmos Park then I know him also. He and Bobby were related I think. I also knew Ilsa, who at the time went by Garrett-Frost Yikes !!! I have definitely dated myself. After second thought I might reconsider attending. Its too much like twilight zone. - Robert Schonhoff 2001 I remember Chaps and flash cards, and Spurs, marching in those horrible military uniforms with little caps. At least the skirts were short! I didn’t really like these organized activities and became a Spur dropout in my senior year. Almost twenty years later, my daughter was a very different kind of Spur, wriggling all over the field in glittery spandex, performing elaborate dances and using huge flags at the band competition their senior year. When they walked off the field at Alamo Stadium that April, 1990,to “Hey, Jude”, I cried. So much had changed, and so little. ~ Jana Orsinger I remember bean rolls on Friday afternoons. At least I think it was Fridays. Anyway I ate a ton of them. Still like them. They turn your grease light on, but I eat them every 6 months or so just for the memories. - Deborah Williams Furlow I remember the smell of Hal Robbins pipe tobacco in the hallways. Smoking in the bathroom really fast between classes hoping not to get caught and getting very dizzy. Being careful not to step on the emblem in the middle of the front hall. (today, it is blocked by ropes) Mini-mesters Sills Snack Shack bean burgers Carnations on Valentines Day My favorite teachers-Mr. Middleton, he'd help with math tests and Mrs. Bowman, who would give me a pass to the library any time we had to dissect anything. Ewie! Walking to Sommers drug store and Mr."M's" The policeman Robert can't remember was Chester Lambert and he smoked big fat cigars. Roger Terry being a rookie our junior year The dress code being abolished Seeing Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zepplin in concert at the Convention Center Going to Hemisfair and then working there as a volunteer Does anyone else remember the "Castle" or "Swamp Lights" of "Goatman"? Good grief.where do people come up with these things! I remember falling in love for the first time and being afraid he would be sent back to Vietnam. I couldn't go to the airport without becoming sad, knowing that those GI's might not come home. Wishing I could go to Woodstock Martin Luther King is shot Robert Kennedy is shot Man first walks on the moon Too many memories that would be incriminating or embarrassing or those that "you would have had to have been there" ~ Ilse Frost Garrett 2001 Hanging out by the south wing before first period, playing various musical instruments, being chased away by yardstick carrying administrators; Mexican food on Wednesdays, chili pie on Thursdays, oh yes and the bean rolls. Also, the "donkey lady" and "Glow Man". ~ Florence Bunten 2001 Does anyone remember the Jr High "walk out" or "sit-down" strike over the cafeteria food...then the news cameras came!!! Who went to Monterrey with the Spanish Class? Remember our freshman yearbook picture taking day, when "a senior" found out he could get his picture in that Olmos 3 times....an he succeeded? (One of them was Luara Jean Berger, but who was the guy? - IFG) Our Sr. Class Trip to Macarthur Park and the SA Rodeo.....GAG The Prom and the Anti-Prom Our P.E. Teacher at Cambridge Elementary? (Mrs Holleran...She wore a fake bun on the back of her head. Skippy Peters knocked it off with a soccer ball. - IFG) Who was the Janitor that we all loved in high school? (it was Martine - IFG) OOOOOOOOO, these memories! ........ ~ Lynn Erben Gillaspy 2001 No me olvido Monterrey, pero, me olvido Piedras Negras! oieee!! mui malo! tequilla es problema grande!! ~ member of spanish club 1967: A visit to AHPD: One night after Benner's party, about 2:00am, about 12 of us snuck out, met up at Cambridge Elementary (bathrobes, a dog named Chula, stolen, er, borrowed car, no drivers license!) We talked and slid down fire escapes. Quite innocent, actually, we were pretty good kids.. The neighbors didn't think so. The police rounded us up around 4am in the morning. The faster runners got away. Our parents were thrilled to be called at 4:30am to come down to the police station and retrieve their little dilinquents! (Mickey, Cary, Libby, Benner, Carol., Toni, Shannon, Martha, Foster...who else?) ~ Toni Schmid 2001 "I remember that episode because I was one who got away. I ran all the way home and had just snuck back inside when the phone rang. My mom and I picked up different extensions and I said, "Mom! Foster isn't here!" Then Foster's dad says, "that's 'cause the little #@%$&* is down at the police station!" . . . I hope I think it's funny when my own children pull those pranks." - Benner Barclay 2001 TO ALL US KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 50's - First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us. - They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes. - Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paints. - We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking. - As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. - Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat. - We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle. - We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this. - We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because...... - WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!! - We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. - No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K. - We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem. - We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!< /P> - We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. - We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. - We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes. - We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them! - Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!! - The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! - This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! - The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. - We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned - HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL! - We had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good. Our kids would be surprised at how brave their parents were. Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it? 
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