LBDM Episode 22: 6th Grade Memories- The City of Longview, 1979-1980

Lobos Blue Devils and Mustangs Episode 22 : 

6^th Grade Memories

The City of Longview 1979-1980

There was a post on FB recently on how old were you based on the landmarks and places and streets you grew up on, in, and around Longview. Needless to say, there were a number of places brought up which existed in Longview way back in the day, some of which were memorable and some not-so-memorable.

What do I remember about living in Longview during my 6^th grade year? Let’s see:

1. The mall has just been built, and it had stores and restaurants in it such as Luca’s Pizza, El Chico, Wilson’s/ Service Merchandise, Chess King, Waldenbooks- places which no longer exist.

2. There was only ONE McDonald’s in Longview, and it was on Marshall Ave. (Highway 80)

3. There had been only one Bodacious Barbq in Longview on Mobberly Ave., but a second one was built around this time on 6^th St., across from Good Shepherd hospital.

4. Downtown Longview still had one-way streets, traffic signals at every intersection, and plenty of stores (Brown’s Shoes, The Camera Shop, Perry’s, Eddie Woods Bookstore).

5. El Chico was still on Highway 80.

6. The Mobberly Baptist Church was still on Mobberly Ave.

7. The bank of a thousand names (since then) on the corner of Mobberly and High was called the Commercial National Bank of Longview.

8. R&W Barbecue still existed on Judson Road.

9. Mr. Gatti’s Pizza was on Spur 63.

10. There were two Gibson’s stores, one on Mobberly and one on Highway 80.

11. Jack ‘n’ Jill Donuts on High St. was one of the best donut shops.

12. Dairy Crème still existed on High St.

13. Buddies (Winn Dixie) was on High St. too.

14. There was a place called Treasure City on Highway 80 that a lot of people liked going to-

15. There was another place called TG&Y (also on Highway 80) that saw a lot of business-

16. Safeway still existed on Green St.

17. Gulf gas stations still existed.

18. The Monterrey House was on Highway 80.

19. The Canton restaurant also existed on Highway 80.

20. Texas Bank and Trust was called Longview Bank and Trust.

21. Drive-ins such as the River Road Drive-In and still existed.

22. Eastman Road (Highway 259) had only two traffic signals in 1979 (Highway 80 and Cotton Street)- now there are nine.

23. Birdsong Street ran from High Street to Lilly Street. Now it runs from the Loop to Eastman Road.

24. FM 1845 existed in south Longview back then- now it’s part of the Loop (281).

25. 16^th Street was about to become MLK Blvd.

26. Stroh’s still existed on Cotton St.

27. Brookshire’s (later Super 1’s) had stores on High Street, Mobberly Avenue, Highway 80, Judson Road, and McCann Road.

28. Court Street ran from Whaley all the way to South Street and a little past that- Now it ends at Cotton Street due to the library.

29. Speaking of the public library, the Longview Public Library was on Green Street at this time.

30. There was only one Burger King in Longview back then and it was on McCann Road by K-Mart.

31. K-Mart existed on McCann Road.

32. Wal-mart didn’t exist anywhere in Longview.

33. H.G. Mosley Parkway didn’t exist.

34. Airline Road was mostly a 2-laned gravel road that curved around the high school (no Hawkins Parkway).

35. Regional Hospital did not exist at this time.

36. Judson Road was a 2-lane road.

37. S&H Green Stamps was on High Street- I remember trying to collect those things for something fun-

38. There were three traffic signal lights on a little-known street called College Street, now there are zero. (The lights were at the High Street, Fredonia Street, and Green Street intersections.)

39. The public library was located at the corner of Green and College Street. (I already said that, didn’t I?)

40. 16^th Street (MLK Blvd.) and Young Street had an intersection one would have to see to believe- it was NOT the way it is now- And in all honesty, I miss the way it used to be!

41. M.E. Moses was my favorite place in the world when I was little (the Dairy Shoppe store on the corner of 16^th and Young was a VERY CLOSE second-).

42. Dairy Queen was everywhere (still), Whataburger was on the Spur and on Alpine Road, and Wendy’s just opened on Highway 80 around this time.

43. The High Street railroad bridge downtown had been closed for a LONG time until it was ready around this time also.

44. There had to have been at least ten gas stations along Mobberly Ave. back then- now there’s only two or three.

45. There was a Longview News-Journal morning and evening daily newspaper.

46. There were two Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants at this time- One on Highway 80 close to the intersection at Alpine, and one on Estes Parkway close to the Old Elderville Road intersection.

47. Remember these jobs: Marathon LeTourneau, Trailmobile, Data Com, Fleetwood, and of course, Stroh’s?

48. The Dolly Madison bread house was on High Street, and there was another bread house on Mobberly.

49. There was a Holiday Inn on Highway 80 going towards Marshall.

50. Remember the THREE water towers in the middle of Longview? And the one big one off of 16^th Street near East Ward (Everhart)?

51. Johnny Cace’s had been around a LONG time until here recently-

52. Eckerd’s Drugs used to be on Green Street.

53. Goodwill took over when Eckerd’s left, on Green Street.

54. Wyatt’s Cafeteria was on High Street and still very popular at the time on Sundays.

55. Luby’s was located off of Judson Road right next to Fisherman’s Market.

56. There were no Family Dollar stores or Dollar General stores back then.

Of course, there are places which existed when we were little kids that STILL exist to this day and are still going strong: Bodacious BBQ on Mobberly, Fisherman’s Market, the Whataburger and Kroger’s on the Spur, all the Louis Morgan drugstores, and the McDonald’s on Highway 80. In these days and times, that’s a feat unto itself.

LBDM Episode 21: 1979: 6th Grade Memories- Making New Friends

LBDM Episode 21:  

1979: 6th Grade Memories- 

Making New Friends

Going to Judson my 6^th grade year was an unforgettable experience. In the last installment, I mentioned my going to a GATE meeting for the very first time and meeting Angela Stanmore, my first major crush. There were 30+ kids who attended that meeting, but from what I recall, Angela and I were the only black kids there. The rest were white, for the most part. There were both 6^th and 7^th graders in attendance; I don’t think that there were any 8^th graders present. Anyway, that was the first of several GATE meetings we would have that year, and it’s interesting to note now of how much of an influence the meetings had on me and my future. Through these meetings I made friends with a lot of my classmates who I probably either would have never become friends with otherwise, or who I probably would have had a hard time getting to know since we were “different”, generally speaking. And I got introduced to the biggest thing in my life since the calculator…..the computer.

I made a lot of friends that year due to being in GATE and having to take Advanced Math and Advanced English, as well as having some of my classmates in my other classes, too. Of course, they were mostly white kids, since I already knew many of the black kids already attending Judson with myself. I wish I could name them all, and in time I probably will, but I will focus on the ones I remember talking to the most in mainly my advanced classes from my 6^th grade year:

Paula Briley- I remember her being In English and Choir with me- she sat behind me in English, and she was very friendly and talkative.

Sherri Earhart- The next two (including Sherri) I list always either had lockers next to or above mine, or we sat by or in front of one another in class- So it was probably destined we’d all become friends by the end of the school year. Sherri was outspoken and could be a smart-mouth at times, but I liked her. She was cool.

April Eaton- Her locker always seemed to be next to mine every year- She was very nice and very friendly.

Cathy Edmondson- And her locker always seemed to be above mine every year- Cathy was the total package- Very smart, very nice, very friendly, very pretty- just one of the best people I’ve ever met-

Michael Foster- I remember him being one of the first kids I met in my math class- His mother, who I think was a counsellor or teacher at Judson, and him were very nice and friendly to me that year, and I’ve never forgotten that. Another good person.

Julie Grimes- I’m not going to mention the nickname she gave me later on during our 8^th grade year, but she was in a lot of my classes every year at Judson- She was very talented as well as smart- could sing and cheerlead- I believe we became friends in English also-

Russell Hohlt- He was a genuine good guy, friendly and kind of funny- I had him in FOUR of my classes my 6^th grade year.

Bobby Lorenz- One of the few I was able to have a lot of classes with both at Judson and LHS- A really, really good guy who loved cars (I wished I could draw a car as good as him!) and who was one of the calmest people I’ve ever met.

Rosey Mancha- She was friendly, very intelligent, and always seemed to have a smile on her face always- That’s what I remember most about her- her smile-

Marc Mayfield- You could tell he was going to grow up and become a lawyer someday way back when we were in the 6^th grade- That doesn’t mean he was a bad person- He was as good as they come-

Brian Romans- He was kind of quiet, very smart, especially in math- A good person.

Mark Smitherman- The ultimate boy scout- Strong, smart, didn’t let anything or anyone bother him or defeat him- Very mature back then compared to the rest of us-

Lisa Supercinski- Another one of my first new friends in my math class, who I believe sat in front of me (we were not seated alphabetically in math)- Very smart, very friendly, who talked to and helped me a lot in class.

Tim Tutt- Very, very friendly, always smiling- he was just a very nice person-

Scot Walker- He was a good person, smart, sometimes a smart-aleck but very much a decent person-

Lee Warren- He was smart, sneaky-athletic (he really could run fast), and like Bobby, very even-tempered and calm.

Clay Whitehurst- The mad scientist of our group, he loved science even though he was smart in all subjects, and he was very friendly also- I remember talking to him a lot during math also.

Jeff Hampton- We’d become better friends in the 7^th and 8^th grades- He was a good person with a huge heart- Always down-to-earth, always trying and doing his best, someone I’m glad I got to know-

Mona Hall- She was very quiet at first, but once you got to know her, she was very friendly and smart-

John Shiver- J.D. was one of my favorites- He was funny, smart, just a great person to be around- I had a lot of classes with him at Judson also and always liked talking to him-

Melanie Braun- She was very smart and outspoken also- She always tried and did her best on everything from her classes to being in the band, and more times than not, she was usually successful.

Jamie Ivy- She was very down-to-Earth and one of the nicest kids I met that year - She was another I liked talking to, and I thought that her name was pretty.

Elizabeth Bassett- It seemed like most of the girls were smarter than the boys and Elizabeth was no exception- Very intelligent-

There were others who I probably met in the 6^th grade, or who I met when I was in the 7^th and 8^th grades- Julie Swimm, Sue Lynn Tipton, Kim Russell, Kim Williams, Mike Gilbreath, Natalina Hernendez, Jarrod King, Roland Bailey, Mike Pless, Scott Branch, Scott Lamon, Traci Douglas, and Laura Peurifoy to name a few more- In all honesty, I can’t totally remember when I actually did meet and talk to them for the very first time- but all of them have been friends to this day and I’m thankful to have gotten to know them when I did.

1979: 6th Grade Memories- The GATE Meeting and My First Real Crush

Episode 20 

1979: 6^th Grade Memories

The GATE Meeting and My First Real Crush

Sometime during the month of October, I'd just taken a seat in my 7th period class when the intercom came on. "We'd like for the following students to report to the library as soon as this announcement is over:" Then the voice continued to name the students who were to go to the library for God knows what. When I heard my name announced as one of the students, I thought, Oh Lord, what could this be about? I didn't feel like I was in trouble or anything like that, because they were calling out the names of the students who were in my advanced classes, but one could never be too sure. As soon as the intercom shut off, I got up and basically went next door to the library. There were a couple of women whom I didn't know standing there and they, after asking what my name was, motioned for me to sit at one of the long tables in front of them. I sat down and gradually other students started coming in and sitting down. Again, these were mostly my classmates who were in my advanced classes and who I had not gotten to know yet, and there were a few 7th graders also present. I sat there really being to myself and not really looking at or talking to anyone when something happened that would affect me for the rest of my years at Judson.

Before we get to that, let me state what the meeting was all about. The ladies, Mrs. Foster (one of my classmates' mother) and Mrs. Jackson (our librarian) explained to us that we were the first members of a program called the Gifted and Talented Enrichment program, or GATE, for short. To quote from our school newspaper at the time, "The purpose of GATE is to provide challenges and enrichment for participating students. To become a member of the GATE program, students must be recommended by their teachers, have above average scores in all areas, and possess a willingness to complete all projects. GATE students are currently studying ways to improve study habits, examining career opportunities, and are entering a writing contest (we are?). There are approximately 30 students involved in the GATE program (at the time)." Mrs. Foster, Mrs. Jackson, Mrs. Motley, Mrs. E.J. Johnson, Mrs. Starr, Mrs. Henderson, and Mr. Parr were our sponsors. All of these teachers either taught math or English, or served in the capacity of a librarian or counselor. Obviously, I'd been recommended by my teachers (Mrs. Henderson and Mrs. Starr) due my grades for the 1st six weeks. I'd made all A's on my report card and 1 B. I wound up making the honor roll for the six weeks, and didn't even know what that actually meant at the time, since I'd never had that in elementary school. And now, here I am sitting in the first ever GATE meeting, and wondering if I belong in here or not. I looked around and saw more than a few blank faces, and I thought, well, at least I'm not the only one not sure what this is all about. Later on, once we started doing different activities and being introduced to new inventions and concepts (such as computers and VCRs), I really started appreciating being picked to be a part of GATE. In fact, one might say if not for GATE, I might not have ever come close to my future destiny.

More on that later. Let me get back to another major event in my life which occurred at this particular meeting. As I stated, I was sitting there minding my own business when someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind. I turned around and saw the prettiest girl I'd ever seen in my life up to that point. They say you instantly know it when you fall in love (or get a serious crush) with someone for the very first time (you see fireworks and you get hot and all that), and they're right- The first time I saw Angela, who was in the 7th grade at the time, I liked her a WHOLE lot. In the past, I liked a girl named Tracey when I was in kindergarten, and when I was in the first and second grades, I liked Deyavor, but those were me just being a little kid and liking them as friends. But THIS was different; this was more than just liking somebody- this was extremely being attracted to somebody to the point of being in love. I had never felt this way about any girl before and it caught me by surprise. I mean, I didn't go to school thinking, I'm going to find me a girlfriend or fall in love with the first person I see. I was still interested in sports, playing with toys, riding my bicycle, catching frogs, etc. And as far as girls went, I had never looked at any as anything other than friends (or enemies) or noticed their appearance. Angela changed all that. The very first thing I noticed about her was how pretty she was, how long her hair was, her cute face, pretty eyes, and nice smile. I'd never noticed those things about girls before then. Then after she tapped me on the shoulder and got my attention, she spoke in a friendly voice and said, "Hi Cedric. My mother knows your mother."

HOW did she know my name?? Who was she?? Who was her mother?? Where did she come from?? Why? What? How? So many questions- and so, after she said what she said and smiled at me, I did what I would mostly do for the next couple of years whenever I was around Angela: I'd turn red, smile like a fool, and mumble or say something stupid, or say nothing. Most of the time, anyway, that's what I’d do. This day in time I said something like, “okay”, and quickly turned back around sweating bullets. I wanted so bad to ask her her name, but I was too shy to even talk to her.

The rest of the meeting went by quickly, and I wasn’t too focused on what was being said by Mrs. Foster and Mrs. Jackson anyhow, considering I’d just met the girl of my dreams for the very first time. I couldn’t wait to get on the bus and ride home so I could ask my momma who this girl was whose mother she knew. But if only I had a name to go by! I thought I heard one of the kids call her Angela, but I wasn’t sure. For once, I was glad when the 3:30 bell rang, so I could go run and jump on the bus, which still was the consistent negative highlight of the day, but I just wanted to hurry up and get home.

Once I got home, I asked my mom rather casually did she know any of the mothers of my classmates or somebody close to me in age. “Well that depends on who you are talking about,” she said. Then I told her of the GATE meeting I had gone to and how the only other person who was my skin-color had tapped me on the shoulder and said that her mother knew my mother. I told her that I think her name is Angela. “Oh, I know who you are talking about,” Momma said. “You know her mother, too- She used to teach you.” I was like, Huh? The only people I could think of was Mrs. Moore and Mrs. Eckhardt, and I knew it couldn’t be one of them. My mom continued, “Mrs. Stanmore- don’t you remember Mrs. Stanmore who used to help teach you in the first grade?”

Mrs. Stanmore! I had totally forgotten about her! She and Mrs. Nelson (who ironically was the secretary at Judson at this time) were my teacher aides who used to help us when I was in the first grade at East Ward (Everhart). I remembered how pretty she was and I thought she was a teenager, if not a grown woman (because she was so young-looking). Which she obviously was back then since Angela was older than me. I almost couldn’t believe that Angela was her daughter, and that she also had a son who was in the same grade as my sister. I thought to myself, I can see where Angela got her looks from then. But I still wondered how did Angela know me and who I was, unless it was her mom who told her. Or could it have been someone else? Why did I react that way towards her? I’d never reacted like that before- Was this what they call, love at first sight?

1979: 6th Grade Memories: Judson or Foster?

Episode 19 - 6^th grade Memories: Judson or Foster?

I’d met Keith Taylor during the summer prior to the beginning of the 6^th grade. He and I took part in the Longview Public Library summer activities, and we’d become pretty good friends. He had already known he was going to be going to Judson, while I was sure I was going to Foster. He had told me, “You don’t want to go there- they have fights everyday, they break into your locker and steal all of your things, and they give out homework every single day!” I never did ask him how did he know that, but when we parted that summer, I was thinking I wouldn’t see him again for three years. Well, I wound up at Judson, and I was happy that at least I’d be attending school with Keith, even though we only had PE together. And I was happy I wasn’t going to the school where he said all of those terrible things happened.

Well, after school started and I’d been riding the bus for awhile, and after seeing all of the wonderful homework I was getting in almost every class except for PE and Choir, and after I’d had my locker broken into twice and lost two combination locks, I wondered whether or not I was at the right school- because it sure didn’t feel like it. If Foster was as bad as everyone claimed it to be, then Judson must’ve been just a step above hell in comparison. One thing that cannot be overstated and something I’ve thought about more and more as the years have gone by is the fact that a lot of black kids back then were ANGRY, with a capital A- angry because they had to switch schools for no reason other than integration and fixing the black-white ratio. What made it worse was that white kids were not having to move and switch schools, just black kids. White kids could go to whatever middle school they were close to, while black kids had to be bussed way across town, passing up two middle schools to get to the one farthest north and actually outside of the city limits. It meant having to get up earlier than normal, riding a bus not worth sitting in a junkyard, and going to a school where the majority of the faculty was probably not used to dealing with kids who lived on the southside of town. Then think about the 7^th graders and 8^th graders who’d been at Foster and/or Forest Park previously. Now they were being told they had to go to Judson. A lot of them were mad, and they basically took it out on everyone. The next year, some of the black kids were told that they would no longer be going to Judson- instead they’d be bussed to Forest Park. The majority of these kids lived on the eastside of Longview off Young Street and in that area, and I imagine that originally they weren’t too happy about that, but then at least, they’d be closer to home for what it was worth.

Starting out, it was a mess. Black kids were having fights everyday, with each other for the most part. I can recall a lot of them saying they were having fights just so they could be sent back to Foster. Which, of course, didn’t work and didn’t happen. A lot of these kids were older, 7^th and 8^th graders, who just did not want to be there. My classmates and I really weren’t into all that fighting too much, but many of us had best and good friends we’d been separated from in having to switch schools, and that and having to be punching bags for some of the more angrier ones made us not want to be there either. Judson, too, was looked upon as being the harder, tougher school when it came to academics, and the higher volume of homework and the strict grading policy gave evidence to that. Back then, it was possible to have homework in just about every class, and to have to carry three or four books home to do it. That also made a lot of us not like Judson very much.

But probably the biggest reason we hated going to Judson during our 6^th grade year back then was its football team. The 8^th grade team that year was HORRIBLE, they lost every single game that year. The 7^th grade teams weren’t too much better, they might have won one game between them. But all of the teams were atrociously bad. Our first few pep rallies were memorable in the sense that many of the kids were cheering for and chanting for Foster instead of Judson. The funny part, if one could call it that, was that they were chanting for Foster no matter who we were playing that week, whether it was Forest Park, Marshall, or one of the Pine Tree teams. And the chants and cheers would be LOUD, meaning one could hear them very, very clearly. I remember the very first pep rally they made almost all of us 6^th graders sit on the floor, and we showed our appreciation by chanting for Foster on almost every cheer. I also remember Mr. Gregory, the assistant principal, giving us such a dirty look, that if looks could kill, there would have been a mass murder that afternoon. I was chanting for Foster, too, at the time because I really didn’t want to be at Judson myself. And the football team wasn’t all that good anyway, so the purpose of a pep rally was being defeated in all the ways possible.

However, by the time football season ended, we (the 6^th graders) had accepted Judson as our school and we were no longer cheering for Foster or wishing we were there. A lot of the 7^th and 8^th graders would continue to beat that drum into the ground, however, all the way into their 8^th and 9^th grade years respectively, but slowly but surely, a lot of them would change as well, and the school spirit became a lot stronger as a result. By the time I was in the 8^th grade, we were all proud to be Blue Devils.

1979: Memories of the 6th Grade - Riding The Worst Bus Ever

Episode 18: 1979 - Memories of the 6^th grade – Riding The Worst Bus Ever

My 6^th grade year would easily be the best year I would spend at Judson. I’m not saying it was perfect (because it wasn’t), but it was easily the best out of the three years I was there. My 7^th grade year would turn out to be a total nightmare, and as for my 8^th grade year, I was just there and wanted it to be over. However, I can honestly say that I enjoyed my 6^th grade year for the most part, and I really thought I was going to enjoy my entire time at Judson.

Really, the worst part about school back then wasn’t the classes I was taking or the homework given (which was A LOT considering, and more than I’d ever had before); the worst part about going to school that year (and the next) was riding the bus. As I’ve stated, we got stuck with the worst bus they had at the bus barn, bus 55, which probably would have lost a race with an old man in a wheelchair and a crawling baby. That bus had to have been the raggiest vehicle I’ve ever been in, and it was late coming and going every…single…day…. And I cannot count the number of times we would sit broken down on the side of the road or highway, while other buses would pass us by, the kids laughing at us as they passed. Why they didn’t just give us a different bus to ride in I’ll never know. (I’ve got some ideas as to why, however, and considering the time period I’m looking back on, I’m probably correct in my thinking.) Then our bus was over-crowded, we had three kids in every seat, and a lot of times kids had to stand up, due to either there being nowhere to sit or certain kids being bullies and not letting other kids sit down. That happened a lot back then and it was totally ridiculous and uncalled for. I was always one of the last ones to get on the bus and not by choice as some silly people assumed back then. I wasn’t allowed to walk somewhere closer so I could have somewhere to sit, so a lot of times, I had to stand up or whatever, and that usually made for a very uncomfortable trip in more ways than one. Add the fact that for about a month or two, we had a bus driver who didn’t give a damn about us and who’d usually be smoking while driving the bus (even though there was a fat “No Smoking” sign right there at the front of the bus), and you’ve got the recipe for miserable rides on Bus 55.

The first day of school had went without incident. However, after that, it was on. Every single day there was a fight on the bus. I’m serious- Every…single…day. And usually it was because there were a group of kids who loved to bully other kids, calling them names, making fun of them, and so forth and so on- to the point to where fights got started. I didn’t know them at the time, but I had to ride with some 7^th and 8^th graders who seemed to love to pick on people for whatever reason. Some of my classmates were minor bullies themselves, but not to the extent of the older kids. It was a shame, really. I can remember fights starting as soon as we left Judson and continuing throughout the whole trip- the bus driver would just laugh and keep going- and it was just totally ridiculous. I can remember certain kids (whose names I won’t mention here) who seemed to just thrive on picking on people and daring anyone to do anything about it. Then I can remember various bus drivers (we had our share after they finally fired the first one we had) putting kids off and out of the bus for fighting no matter where we were at when the fight started. Once, some kids got put out on Eastman Road five minutes after leaving Judson- and there was nothing out there at the time but fields and trees. Another time we put some out at the corner of Alpine and Eastman Road. Kids who weren’t fighting would get off the bus also, just to see the ones who got put off fight some more, which really wasn’t all that smart back then. Because then they couldn’t get back on and the fight was basically over anyway….and now you’re stuck with having to walk multiple blocks home. Riding the bus was chaotic back then, and I HATED riding the bus with a passion.

I’m not going to say that I didn’t get picked on or I didn’t have a fight on the bus, because on both accounts, I did. The weird thing back then was I didn’t know why I was getting picked on at times, and that it was actually happening was new to me. I remember the fight I had on the bus as clear as yesterday because it was with Roy Craine (and it really wasn’t that much of a fight, because we’d always been pretty good friends), and I was angry about something that had happened earlier that day. Long story short, we had been in PE, and that day, the coach seemingly was in a bad mood because we were taking our time dressing out, so he made us sit on the floor and watch the girls’ PE class do some gymnastics. He said he wanted no talking and if any of us talked, we’d get a paddling. Well, a fat girl jumped off the trampoline very ungracefully and fell, and I snickered. He motioned for me to come here, and I was the first to get paddled that day even though I tried to tell him I hadn’t talked, just snickered. There wound up being five or six of us getting paddled that day, but I didn’t care about that. I was angry, and I went straight to the office and called Momma and told her what happened. Anyway, by the time it was time to go home and we were on the bus, I still hadn’t calmed down. And Roy wasn’t making it no better as he made fun of me getting paddled nonstop (which was in front of everyone by the way- both the paddling and getting made fun of). I told him to shut up and leave me alone, but he wouldn’t, then the next thing I know, I’m pulling him over the seat and we’re punching each other. Fortunately, Tracy (George) and Wilbert Thomas broke us up before the bus driver could stop the bus and throw us off. But I was hot and Roy and I were STILL talking trash to one another when I got off the bus. My momma was waiting for me, and Carla, who got off the bus with me, told Momma what happened on the bus. It led to me having to go to Roy’s house and apologizing (He also apologized), and we’ve continued to be friends ever since. My momma wasn’t too upset about me getting a paddling, but she definitely didn’t like me getting into a fight with one of my friends even more so. She talked to the coach, who admitted he hadn’t actually seen me talk but snicker, but I shouldn’t have made any sounds period- Coach Hendricks and I got along really good from that day forward, and as I’ve said, Roy and I are still friends to this day, so there was a happy ending there.

Meanwhile, on the bus, things just kept getting more and more worse. My neighbor, the afore-mentioned Carla, was getting picked on unmercifully by this girl who was older than the both of us. In fact, she was an 8^th grader and probably the biggest and worst bully on the bus. She’d either have a seat all to herself, or she’d let this one boy sit down with her almost every day. And she could fight like a man. I steered clear of her, because I could tell she was crazy, but she was making Carla’s life miserable on the bus. She absolutely HATED Carla, and she’d pick on her just trying to get her to fight her. A few times Carla did fight her, and it was sad, to say the least. Carla was not a fighter, and the girl would usually get the best of her. Other times, Carla would just try to ignore her, but it was difficult. One day, the girl was determined to fight Carla no matter what- Carla ignored her but it wasn’t doing much good. Carla and I got off of the bus right in front of my house, and the girl and some of her friends followed us. The girl grabbed Carla right in our driveway, and fortunately, Momma was right there at the door and she came outside. Momma asked me what was going on and I told her that the girl was picking on Carla and trying to provoke her into a fight. Momma talked to the girl and the girl told Momma she was going to whip Carla’s you-know-what and no one was going to stop her. Oh Lord, I thought, because I saw the look on my momma’s face and it was not a good look. “I don’t think so.” Momma said. “I think you best need to be going home.” They basically had a staring contest before the girl and her friends finally left. Momma told me later she had never seen a child with the look of being like a wild animal or a savage, until she saw that girl, and she was afraid of what was going to happen if the girl decided to try her. In all honesty, I was, too, because I know my momma.

Riding the bus that year was really just a small part of my 6^th grade life, and although it was bad at times, it actually would get even more worse my 7^th grade year. When I started the 8^th grade, Mr. Thompson would be the bus driver that year, and as Public Enemy would say, all the BS stopped. But for now, I had to deal with that, but as far as school went, the fun was just beginning.