Helen Nicolaysen (Thompson)

Rod, we are beginning to loose leaves on our Olive Trees and our Maple tree is getting red leaves, plus the Buck Dear are getting early amounts of fuzz on their antlers, along with bears coming down from the mountains and feeding a little earlier than usual. We think this is a sign of a longer than usual and colder than usual winter.  Guess we're getting a message to enjoy the hot heat while we can 'cause we're in for a drastic change soon!  Keep your shorts on as long as you can 'cause it appears that we'll need to get the long johns out and wear them longer this winter.  Hang in there with that AWFUL RECORD BREAKING HEAT!  Sure do hope you've got a good air conditioner to make the heat more tolerable.  Bet you're electric bill is certainly reflecting the heat.  UGH!  If it helps any, it seems to be cooling down here into the 80's the last few days.  Now THAT'S a cold wave????    Hang in there for this too shall pass!

Harriett (Holly) Rust (Wood)

I haven't found the picture I told Steve about, but you might get a kick out of this one....look at all those feet together in the front row!

Helen Nicolaysen (Thompson)

 Holly, the picture is great!  Thanks for sharing!

Harriett (Holly) Rust (Wood)

 You win Jack.  I am supposed to be packing to go see my oldest daughter and her family in Oregon early in the morning, but I had to start digging through boxes and here is the infamous picture.

Jack Habich

Thanks Holly.  Like an athlete under pressure or Steve Wilson facing a deadline, you came through.

I was able to recognize at least half of the Oakland School crew just from the picture, and on the second, I immediately spotted Suzy.

When you get back from Oregon, maybe you'll keep us in mind for a few more???

Helen Nicolaysen (Thompson)

 Holly, thanks for sharing.  Frankly, I think you look a lot like Suzy in that picture.  WOW!  

Milan Jackson

Great pics Holly. These are the things that make this a great site. Let's see more of this kind of thing, folks.

Rodney (Rod) Hayes

Holly,

I know you are on the road, so you may not see this for awhile.  But, I'm 99.99% sure there were always two of each grade at Oakland school.  I say this because I went to Oakland from K-6th. myself.  I noticed several people were not in the picture, myself, Tim Schmidt, Jim Hastings, Mike Cox, Joy Hartmann, just to name a few.  Somewhere, I think, my Mother has every picture of each class I was in, for each year.  I'll hunt them and post them. 

Steve Jetton

talking about earthquakes .... sitting in the vistor center at Antietam battlefield in Maryland Tuesday afternoon, listening to the NPS ranger talk about the battle and the building begins shaking.  It's the air conditioning system kicking in, someone says.  Elaine says, "it's an earthquake, it's and an earthquake!"   Once again she is right and I just hate that.

Milan Jackson

We had two of every grade at Franklin.

Jack Habich

At Edwards, we couldn't afford dual classes, so, as I'm told, they kept just the creme de la creme and shipped the rest off to Franklin and Oakland.

Jack Habich

Steve, it's a good thing you made it home.  We would have been worried sick if we couldn't get to your mail.

Milan Jackson

Franklin shared most of their boundaries with Washington, Jefferson and Bent.

Rodney (Rod) Hayes

Jack,

You say, Quote, "so, as I'm told".  Don't you just hate it when you're young and people lie to you.

Jack Habich

When it came to Edwards, Milan, boundaries were moot.  Our cast-offs were of such quality that Franklin and Oakland, anxious to upgrade their programs, were offering scholarships. :)

Jack Habich

Surely people know I'm kidding here.

Milan Jackson

 Kidding? I went to Franklin on one of those scholarships. (laugh)

Jack Habich

Milan, the word around town was that you Franklin guys were pretty much on the level.  Over at Oakland, the alumni were offering cash, twinkies, and chauffers.

Victor Jackson

I went to Bent, Oakland, Jefferson, And Washington! How come I never had any of those things?

Rodney (Rod) Hayes

Vic,

Apparently you moved around too much, so you never really got to know the Main Man.

Jack,

You're right.  I opted out of the Chauffer service, but I got an extra 50 cents/week for that.  I can't speak for everyone, but I got $1.00 per week and a Twinkie double pack , Mon. thru Fri., at DeMent's Grocery, next to the School.  Mrs. DeMent would watch us play dodge ball every morning, and she would pick the top 5 players every week.  They got a free soda.  So, the competitiion was intense.  Since I was a lifer at Oakland, I got moved up to $1.50/week in 4th grade and $2.00/week the last year there.  Then if your Good Citizenship square was checked each 9 weeks, you were allowed to run in the halls for two weeks straight.  Oh, times were great then.

Ed Stanfield

Steve,

Was that your first visit to Sharpsburg (Antietam to you yankees)? It is a magnificient place and i have enjoyed every visit there... last time I was there we survived a horrific storm.. fortunately, we were in the only establishment in Sharpsburg that served cold beer.. that certainly helped..

Jack Habich

Vic, as I stated, top priority was given to Edwards' cast-offs, and you seem to have missed us when playing musical chairs with the schools.

In Rod's case, I think he got into the system because he was a regular, a known entity.  I think the alumni was uncomfortable with you because they didn't feel they could keep you at Oakland.

Jack Habich

But don't feel bad Vic.  I'm still licking my wounds because I didn't make the top 44 for John Nolte's dinner dance (post 1731).  I figure it slipped his mind, or maybe I was just #45.

And on that note, who was debutante Linda Bailey?  Somebody I missed in HS, or more likely, somebody that moved away???

Cheryl Turner (Hitzner)

Silly me!  I thought Jefferson School was the best there was?

Jack Habich

Jefferson was certainly good Cheryl, and you might remember I did some time there in 1955.  I did see some chinks in your academic armour though, when Mrs. Bergen?? motioned me up to the blackboard against the super-elite Mary Jane Graham.

I moved on to Edwards, where I felt challenged by the likes of Steve Norton, Debbie Fitzsimmons, Juanita Jumper and Bob Casali.  Besides, Norton had already gone through Edwards' heralded Bar Management Academy, and knew his way around people.