Junior High & High School Pictures

Early 9th Grade--aren't those glasses awful? I lost the pair I'd had before when they fell overboard on the trip back from the Philippines. I was holding my little sister Darcy up so she could see Bird Island about a day outside of Hawaii. Her hair caught on my glasses and when she pulled forward, my glasses went flying. I remember running down to the lounge where my parents were to tell them what had happened. Darcy was a little way behind me, and I gasped out that I'd dropped overboard. Not being able to see my little sister, they leaped to their feet thinking it was her I'd dropped overboard. When she came into the room at that point, the loss of my glasses seemed rather unimportant. But I had to wear my subscription sunglasses until I could get new glasses. Not good during a movie. My mom had a friend in the Philippines get two new pairs of glasses from our eye doctor and mail them to us. Not that the ones I dropped overboard were especially fashionable (in my opinion), but I liked the new ones even less.

This picture was taken the school year after my mother died. We'd moved suddenly from Sacramento, so my dad could get my mom into the Oaknoll Naval Hospital in Oakland, California. Treasure Island has just finished some new housing, and my father was first on the list. I was far enough done with 8th grade that I was not required to do the last two weeks of school in on TI, so I didn't have the opportunity to meet any kids. It was a hard summer--dealing with the loss of my mom, getting used to living with my dad's mother who moved in to help raise us, no old friends close, and no new friends.

I finally begged my father to let me go to summer school, thinking I'd be able to meet some of the kids I'd be going to school with. It wasn't until later I found out the new housing kids would be going to a different school. *sigh* I took a bus from the base to San Francisco, and took two other buses to the school--and then back home again. So I was riding six buses a day. I remember some sailor tried to pick me up once, not believing that I wasn't 15 yet. I finally had to show him my ID card, and he backed off really fast.

I pleaded with my dad to let me drop out of school, but he was adamant that he didn't want me to become a quitter. He'd joined the Navy at 17 and was only in the 10th grade. It was very wise counsel, and I really appreciate that he made me stick to it. The lesson I learned that summer has held me in good stead ever since.

When I finally did get to go to school in the fall (that picture above was taken in my English class) I met three friends who were some of the closest I've ever had:

I'm on the left, then there's Rhonda, then Kim, and Rose is on the right. We were a really interesting combination of Navy brats. Rhonda was the only one in the proper grade. I was a dreadful little girl and refused to cooperate with my 2nd grade teacher and would do all kinds of things to sabotage her class. Since we were leaving Korea before my 2nd grade year was done, and she was guaranteed not to get me the following year, she failed me, and I got to do 2nd grade twice. Rose had some health issues and ended up having to repeat 1st and 2nd grades, so she was the oldest of our group. But then there was Kim who was close to genius level and had done first and second grades in one year, so she was a year younger than Rhonda.

The four of us had MORE fun together. We were great Star Trek fans and would write our own little stories--something I now know to be fanfic. The hours and hours we would spend together. *sigh* Some of my fondest memories before I had my own family are from times spent with these girls.

I met Rose first. It was October before her family moved on base, and she had two younger brothers. She'd wasn't one to get mad easily, but she also didn't put up with any crap. Something happened on the school bus, and I remember she just turned around and back handed the boy. He never bothered her again, I was way impressed, but my father wasn't sure what to think of this girl.

Only three of us are still alive. Rose died last year of breast cancer. A sweeter, more sensible person I've never known. I've lost contact with Rhonda. She graduated from Berkeley, married, and had a son. Kim teaches at one of the colleges in Arkansas.

The following is a picture taken just before a girl's choice dance called Turnabout:

This was my first formal dance, and I've never been so nervous in my life. The kid I asked (Mark Johnson) was nice, but we were never really very chummy. Makes me wonder why I ever asked him, since we had so little in common. Guess I thought he was cute. I couldn't believe it when he said he'd go with me. I think I must have caught him by surprise. ROFL