Old football field... gone. Some of what we knew as fairly new structure was destroyed to make way for new, more usable construction... what we thought was a nice, new auditorium for instance, was destroyed and replaced with classrooms.
Hatchet knows his way around and volunteered to escort DJ, TwoDogs, and me around.
Hatchet, DJ or TD, correct me if I'm wrong on this... The main entrance to the school now faces Morgantown road as I recall, kind of across from where Fulmer's orchard was.
When you walk in the door you are greeted by this sign:
I'm told it was rescued from the entrance to our old middle building... A nice touch.
We walked around the hallways, old and new. At one point in the new part of the building I knew we were in trouble when I saw where we were... in the "Twilight Zone"!
Hatchet led us through the bowels of the building, and when we were thoroughly lost, he pointed out a stairway that used to lead out of the old tunnel on the East side of the High School. It was the spot where the old stairway was that we used to come in after football practice or Phys. Ed.. You'd pass the football team locker room on the right, then you'd reach a point where you had to turn right and the boys locker room was on the right there. I think Mr. L's first all boy class was located right in that area. A left turn then took you past the girls lockers where you had to make another right turn. Walking further led us out into the old gymnasium, now referred to as the "West Gymnasium".
What memories! There have been slight changes... the old overlook viewing area from the band room has been bricked over. My father volunteered to hang the first florescent lights from the beams in the gym... The long tubes he hung have been replaced by new, more efficient lights. The banners telling everyone how many Sectional and County championships we won are gone, and the walls look sadly bare. But the heart of the gym hasn't changed. The four of us were stirred to relate many memories of the place. We could have spent hours there reminiscing.
Hatchet, that tour is something I literally have dreamed about doing for years, and you made it possible!
I cannot adequately express my thanks.
2 comments:
My first assigned classroom at CG was in that tunnel you just wrote about. I was assigned 20 boys 1n 1957-58. I was there until after football season then my classroom was the boy's football dressing room. It was nice there. It was like a tornado shelter. We did not hear thunder, and Mr. Clashman, my principal at the time, very seldom came over to see me. I guess you could say that we were well isolated except for recesses and lunch. The reason no girls was because there were no doors to the restrooms. Eventually sometime second semester we landed a room in the middle building. Jeff Beck, last year, took me back to that tunnel, and did it bring back memories.
Mr.L
Hey! Looks like you had a great visit at the Alumni Banquet. We got home from Mesa that week and my son, grandsons, daughter-in-law came over on Saturday and spent the night. Sorry I missed the fun. Don't we have a beautiful school? A friend of ours told me last week he thought that C.G. was just built when the new homes were all built in White River Township. He was very surprised when I set him straight on our history.
I did think of you all when I was in Mesa...one day I looked up high in our bathroom at the ceiling. You will never guess what I saw. It was what looked like SPIT BALLS ON THE CEILING! I hadn't thought about those since 1965. Many days I sat in fear that one of those would fall on my head! But I've been thinking that I must get some wrapped straws and see if I can get a spit ball to stick to a ceiling....maybe if we go out to a restaurant with a high ceiling I should try. I think I'm old enough that people who might see me would pass it off as senility.
Think of you all every day. You have a warm, tender part in my heart
Oh yeah, Clint thought the Florida trip was too close to our just getting back from AZ....
Did you all see on the news that a woman was speared in the face by a pellican near St. Pete? It's whole beak when through her cheek; I guess the bird died from the impact or broke its neck. Hope you all will watch out for those big 'ol things while in Florida.
Love,
Bo
Post a Comment