French High School

So, in the fall of 1961 I started 10th grade at French High School (where the eponymous kiss was invented - LOL). French was located on Concord Road directly across from Horn Addition. My walk to school was one block. I could wake up at 7:20, shower, shave, brush my teeth, drink an instant breakfast and be on campus by 7:30.

French received students from both James Bowie Junior High and from Stephen F Austin Junior High so I had another one hundred or so classmates to become friends with. Austin students were probably in a higher economic class than the poorer Bowie kids.

I really enjoyed band in High School. I loved marching in football season and the hard work in concert season. Our band director was ‘Red’ Burgess. He taught me one excellent lesson between my junior and senior year.

That was the summer I worked at the Chemical plant and I did not pick up my trumpet the entire time. We had music to ‘play off’ at the end of the summer and I failed utterly!!!! By not being able to play off my pieces I was eliminated from being a band officer, which I surely would have been had I met the requirements. A very good lesson in following the rules.

During our 10th grade year, Patrick, James, Brad and I got ‘into’ amateur rocketry. We read a book from the library about making a rocket. Part of the rocket we could make right away was rocket fuel. Solid rocket fuel. It was made from saltpeter and sugar – both in powdered form. When heated they melted together into a caramel colored, caramel consistency glop.

Heating it is a challenge and, ever wise, none of our mothers would allow us to melt it in the house on the stove. So we used an open flame. wood fire, outdoors to melt the stuff. Needless say, the open flame tended to fire off the rocket candy prematurely at the cost of arm hair and eyebrows. We were darn lucky. If you google (now, not then) rocket candy, the Wikipedia article specifically cautions against open flame heating.

In the 9th grade I was infatuated with Nancy Collins. She lived on Lucas Drive not far from the B F. Quicksall Masonic Lodge.

I ended up taking Latin rather than the infinitely more useful Spanish or French. I was probably motivated by my inherent laziness because the Spanish/French teacher was reported to be very demanding. Our Latin teacher was Kay F Whitwell. She really knew her Latin, but was a sad maladjusted lonely lady.

Our G&T math teacher for all three years of high school was Bob Meynig. He was a very good teacher and gave me a good math background.

Sally Lanasa taught biology. She was sold on evolution and pounded it into us. It has taken me years to recognize the lack of evidence to support the theory of evolution.

As a nerd in high school, I used a briefcase to carry my books and papers around rather than use my locker.

My girlfriend in the 11th grade was Sherry Haussner. She is now Sherry Haussner Travers, a family law attorney in Katy.

Daniel Patrick White, a best friend since the 7th grade, became Daniel Patrick Sullivan. Actually he was always Sullivan, his step father never adopted him.

When his mom and Step dad moved to Houston, he and I were separated for a while.

His mom contracted cancer and died relatively quickly. I remember a long expensive phone call to console him.

He hated living in Houston with his step dad so arrangements were made for him to live with his aunt Alma Smelker who lived very near Beaumont Hight School. He wanted to be with his friends so the school district allowed him to commute to French.

This is him and Alma. He and Julian have a resemblance.

My girlfriend in the 12th grade was Mary Barrow, also known as George. She was Portuguese, Japanese, American Indian and Caucasian American - quite a mix. Her dad was a Highway Patrol Officer and scary. Her mom was a Japanese war bride. I wish I had heard more stories from her mom. Our ‘romance’ continued on a ‘by mail’ basis throughout my freshman year at Rice. I think it fizzled in the summer of ’65.

People my age all have a common experience. We know where we were when President John F Kennedy was shot. He was gunned down by an assassin’s (Lee Harvey Oswald) bullet in Dallas on 22 November, 1963.

I was a senior in High School and was in civics class when his shooting was announced over the school PA. I believe this was around 1 PM. The teacher, Mr. Warren, kept order and kept on teaching. By 2 or so the word that he was dead arrived and I think we were dismissed for the day.

This was on the Friday a week before thanksgiving. The whole nation was consumed by the unfolding events including the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald on Saturday morning while he was in custody!

Lyndon Baines Johnson of Texas became President.

I was accepted into Rice University in March or April of 1964.

I gave the valedictory address at our graduation ceremony in the Beaumont Civic Auditorium.