Red Rover

Does anyone ever play Red Rover any more? It was one of my favorite games at Dwight School. It was actually an ego booster for me because it was a popularity contest mainly. I loved to be called! I was a fairly heavy child (not fat, just a big girl), and I ALWAYS broke through. We also played freeze tag, football, softball, Who stole the cookie?, and hide and seek. Normally, I hated games with running (because big girls don’t run) but I did love Red Rover. I always felt sorry for the kids we clotheslined. Wasn’t pre-puberty fun??

Dwight Teachers

There were some very wonderful teachers at Dwight School. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any of them! lol Mrs. Weeks taught 3rd grade, and I was terrified of her. Mrs. Splitozer taught 2nd grade and she scared me a little too. She swatted my BFF Carla on the rear end one day when we started back upstairs after lunch. There was Ms. Lois Usry and Mrs. Baker who were good teachers (and Mrs. Baker did teach me Social Studies in the 5th grade!). Mrs. Cunningham taught the “special readng” kids, whatever that meant. And of course, the award winning Mrs. Pearl Gilbert taught 1st grade. She was the mother-in-law of one the best teachers I had in junior high, Lucy Gilbert, and the grandmother of the love of my life, "Kimbo"(more on him later). Our principal was Mrs. Webb. She scared me, but she liked me.

Dwight Giants, We are Great!

I moved to Dwight School in the 5th grade because of a new thing called "zoning" our school system was going through. I cried because I had gone to Oak Park for 4 years, and I didn't want to change schools just because we had moved to a new neighborhood. But after the first day.....Oak what? It was like my little country club. Did I learn anything? Heck yeah....I learned that if you take a quarter and drag it along a plastered wall, it makes a silver streak. I learned about sex and some really cool bad words. I learned that boys, while thrilling, were really a little goofy and giggled over stupid stuff. I learned that a bloodhound when left unattended will walk right up into the school, right up to the desk of his favorite master, Tim Ware. I learned many nasty tricks to play on teachers and substitutes. I learned how to skate. I fell in love right off the bat with a twin, and my best friend was his twin's girl. Math? well....my math education left off in the 4th grade. I had my first black teacher. Her name was Mrs. Baker and she taught us Social Studies.  She actually taught us to take notes. Don't remember even having reading. Don't remember science either. Mostly what I learned at Dwight was life lessons. I learned that girls are mean, and that guys make the best friends most of the time. What a great place.
My best friends were: Carla, Jonathan, Karen, Yvonne, Teresa, Mike (my ideal guy, but was afraid to let him know),  Ronnie (my honey bunny), Lisa, Teresa (the football star), Kyle ( a later honey bunny), Lynne, Kaye, Debbie, Bruce, J.T. and Steve. There were lots more, but I am getting too old to remember names.

Teresa, the football star

Recently I mentioned my neighbor and childhood friend, Teresa (RIP). My very favorite story about her is when she tried out for football. She was mean as any boy in the neighborhood, and tough as nails! We used to play hard in our neighborhood, and she was always challenging boys. We dared her to try out for our football team. I guess she figured why not since she was already a cheerleader! SHE MADE THE TEAM!!! The coach begged her mother to sign the contract. Of course, she refused (as this was the late 60's in the deep south), but we were so proud of her! My mother loved the story too, she told all her friends.
Spending the night with Teresa was always an adventure. She had 2 older sisters, a younger brother, and a baby (oops! I'm pregnant?) sister. Her mother was so funny. We loved talking to  her. Her father was overseas in Iran (or was it Iraq?) working in the oil fields. He scared me a little but I think it was because he was never at home. Her momma drove an green Opal Cadet that she let us hang out the back (literally) when she drove us to the store. She cussed a little and we would laugh and laugh when she did. We could eat all we wanted up there and drink all the Cokes we wanted. It was a great place to be!