...A bright shining moment

Basically, I hardly remember my elementary school days.  But Junior High is remembered as a challenging time and High School a total bore until I got to the big city of Little Rock at midterm of my Junior year.  

Mom had moved on to LR a few days before, and as my Dad and I got into the cab of a large U-Haul truck containing the last remaining possessions from the big house on Church Street in small town Arkansas, he took the time to look directly into my eyes to say to me before driving off, "Honey, don't look back."  It had been a hard year for me.  Dad was a soul mate and he knew.  It was always difficult for me to 'fit in' at school, though I was popular and nominated for this and that...was something wrong with me?

Little Rock was an experience of instant belonging.  EVERYTHING  about city life was familiar, exciting, and full of decision-making opportunities.  No more cliques among girlfriends to deal with or silly popularity stuff of small town tradition.  

Dad was a favored gasoline station owner/manager in our state and had been given some wonderful opportunities by the Exxon folks to take a couple of really busy L R stations and we prospered quite wonderfully.  I had everything a young girl might want...Restaurants for Sunday meals out; department stores with tantelizingly beautiful clothes to have in my closet; summer jobs and the independence of my own money; an exciting youth group in an active, progressive church near the beautiful Arkansas Capitol; new friends who were receptive and friendly; an old, but fun, Oldsmobile provided by Dad for my personal use.  Mom and Dad even gave me the master bedroom with my own bath.  (The second bath and bedroom pleased Dad more as it was much larger)  Oh! My!  Was I dreaming??!!

I enrolled immediately at Central High School...the most awesome institution of the times.  Never will I forget it.  Just walking up those front steps to the front door with my Mom and entering the huge doorways was awesome to an almost 17 year old girl.  I could hardly believe my eyes.  Everywhere was bigness, even greatness.  There was a sense that Greatness had walked there before me - though I knew nothing of the school's academic history nor of the people who had walked those halls before me.  I felt a keen sense of entering into greatness as we walked from our car to the registrar's office.  

I don't remember much about the meeting in the office that day with Mrs. Hensley, except that I did recognize a few names and faces from the LRCHS Civil Rights conflict during the 1957 year of my youth...I was only 10 and was frightened by what I saw on our television set.  But on this day of my life, in January 1964, I recall the opportunity to begin life again (at 16!) and make something wonderful happen.  There was, upon the first impressions, an inner 'knowing' that I had missed 16 years of something WONDERFUL that should have been mine! The City...The School...The open invitations of inclusion with new friends.

So began a most wonderful year and a half of my life.  Little Rock Central High School did not disappoint!  Only 4 years at Harding University could compare.

My teachers were so very professional in a way I had not experienced (there were good teachers in my past also).  I'm not sure how the traditions began, but the most outstanding thing I recall overall was the understood expectation that we were to behave as young adults and we were treated with that respect.  All the guys were so handsome in their kahakis and button down collar shirts.  And how I loved wearing dresses only and beautiful flats and 'stacked' heels from exotic places like Pfiefer, Blass, and MM Cohn.  I was sure I was still dreaming!  

Most classes met my expectations of college prep...I recall that I learned how to do research in English under Mrs. Petty...a skill I have found most useful repeatedly in my careers and now in my work as an AR CASA.  Mrs. Dupre and Mrs. Neill taught me the graciousness of entertaining, beginning relationships, and becoming WOMAN.  Mrs. Rae was a rock star to me. As we created pretty things to wear, she enlightened us with her independent presence...and I imagined a wonderfully romantic life and love she shared with her husband.  I wanted to be like all three of them, in different ways.  

Mrs. Wren was an excellent math teacher and probably wondered why I kept daydreaming in class...but for weeks we were covering material I had already been through the semester before.  Soon it became challenging as we moved on to new material...she was an example to me in her way of taking time to be sure we were following and learning...I remembered her methods when I entered my own classrooms years later...be alert for who is falling through the cracks!  

Mrs. Schmid was unsuccessful in enticing me to enjoy physical education (NO! You mean I really have to undress and shower in front of other girls!)  But it was not her doing...I was always intimidated by the athletically gifted, as I definitely was not.  Though many years later I married a high school basketball and soccer coach and lived in a sweltering gymnasium every weekend night and took team tour trips on less-than-compfy school buses.  Anything for the man I love!

Mr. O'Cain was the most interesting of all the social studiesl/history teachers I ever had throughout my school years.  He was the first to focus on the significance of history and tell it's wonderful stories...we never labored over the memorization of dates or other senseless 'lists.' It was my first positive experience with the history of the world, the nation and my place in it. Incidentlly, I found Mr. O'Cain to be most handsome.

There were other professionally outstanding teachers but my memory slips.  I just will always remember the exchange of respect - teacher to student and vice versa.  It meant a lot to me and helped me build confidence and poise.

Friendships came easily at Central.  The student body was fully engaged in all sorts of exciting activities...there was so much to choose from in the activity arena.  New friends were positive and mutually supportive.  Everyone was OPEN and receptive.  And so helpful.  Many students noticed I was unsure sometimes and offered to help me find various locations around the school.  I enjoyed friendships in every classroom and some outside school.  My social life was somewhat limited as I dated a popular guy from Hall High School. A few Little Rock friends have remained to this day...and it has been exciting to make new LRCHS friends through our class Facebook page. 

Central was an experience in community building. It was a large city unto itself...we had government, service, education, religion and social lives.  It was perfect in the eyes of this newcomer.  I am grateful to my friends there.

Continuing on with this high school experience, I never will I forget the lunch period...again BIGNESS...so many students and so crowded.  It was difficult to find a seat some days.  But I will always remember the smell of those awesome yeast rolls!!!  The manager, Mrs. Townsend, was the mother of my friend, Sarah.  It was always good to see her familiar face, as we attended church together also.  (City church is another BIG experience..for another blog topic though) 

I occasionally was asked to serve in the teachers' lunchroom and found that to be another opportunity to be treated exceptionally well by faculty.  Each teacher remembering to say 'thank you' and make a little small talk with me. It was a relief to be away from past school experiences which included arguing and sometimes inappropriate bantering between teachers and students...not to mention high school boys who thought it ok to hang a history teacher out the second floor library window!  I never looked back (Thanks, Dad).

Finally, who could possibly forget the experinece of Pep Rallies at Central High!?  Surely not!  It was always an exciting day and I felt the tingling anticipation of waiting through the day until the hour finally came.  Again Bigness!  Cheerleaders pumped for action and athletically proficient in acrobatics; the drill team's entrance down the middle aisle, signaling the beginning of almost out-of-control roars of Tigers!  I can still feel the air around us mounting with the crescendo of cheers and screams to an ear-piercing magnitude...and the floor of the auditorium convulsing under our feet.  Go Tigers, Fight! WOW!  Nothing short of WOW!

I could go on forever and ever.  There is gratefulness deep within for the experience of city life and especially the end of my high school years.  I grew up in Little Rock.  And I grew more confident and sure of my future by way of the influences of 1964-65.  

As a Tiger lives, I also have had to become adaptable and have lived in various 'habitats' where I survived and thrived.  And as the Tiger, I 'hunt' mostly alone, while my Lion friends roam in groups...must be why I didn't do well in small town schools where cliques ruled.  Or perhaps because I'm an INFJ. The Tiger's personality is described as having fiery passion, daring, and fearlessness.  I guess I can claim most of that at this point in life...having survived early widowhood, a late divorce, broken family ties,  crossing the Grand Canyon on foot, helping others face their deaths, guiding children, protecting foster kids through the courts, dealing with bankruptcy as well as good times with bank balances in tens of thousands.  The Tiger rolls too...though it may change temperament in an instant.  My life has rolled like that...change in the blink of an eye...but my temperament has remained mostly calm and even.  All of this mostly alone...as the Tiger.

I am so thankful that for more than a brief shining moment, a newby big city girl vaulted into the adult world from awesome places like Little Rock, Arkansas and it's wonderful Central High School.

I became WOMAN by way of an urban Tiger path....Hear me roar!

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