Never Walk Back

Photo Collage by Midge Frazel, 2015

"I am a slow walker but I never walk back"

This quote comes from the Senior Supplement of my high school newspaper. Since it is on the masthead and in quotation marks, it must be a quote from someone. It turns out to be a quote from one of our most important Americans named Abraham Lincoln.  (I "googled" that phrase to find that out.)

We can't walk back and look at our own lives, if we DO NOT leave evidence behind. These artifacts kept in my yearbook can tell my descendants a lot about me. However, each piece of evidence must be scanned and posted online since no one wants to have to actually touch the items. Future genealogists are digital.

Let's begin with the photo in the upper left. This is a photo of me taken by my mother in the fall of 1964. (photo at Flickr) We can't be sure of the date since the photo developing date is all we have to go by. The back of the photo (in my handwriting) says Senior year, 1964. School years go from September to June in this time period. It is afternoon (by the shadows) and I am carrying books. I am "dressed up". This may have been after school on the first day of school because my mother forgot to take my photo in the morning. The bottom, gray, envelope is a college catalog and applications which they handed out that day. Today, and in the future, applying to college is done much earlier that this. In those days, only top students applied in their junior year of high school. I am 16 years old in this photo. My books are uncovered which is further evidence that this is the first or second day. There was punishment for not covering your books by the second week of school. The school called your parents. World War II parents were held accountable. That's not a bad thing.

In those days, we were expected to be in a sport or a club and be in attendance at the culmination of those events. (Note the ticket was 50 cents for students.) I was not in the drama club (photo at Flickr) or the school newspaper (photo at Flickr) but I was on the student council. 

Did I remember that? No. The evidence is in the school supplement of the "West Wind" and in the yearbook which was called "Anthos" (photo at Flickr) The program, called "Class Day" is included here because it was a very special day for us. We had no more classes, could wear shorts to school and had a program in the cool of the newly built auditorium and then we had a barbecue lunch. Early release was a big hit. Many of us went home and headed to the beach.  It was Thursday, June 10th, 1965. I remember the next day was dress rehearsal for graduation and proper behavior (and no talking) was expected.

My senior year held a special event that I remember so clearly. As I had completed 3 years of Spanish and they didn't offer an advanced class, I was expected to fill that spot in my schedule with another class of academic credit. I was lucky since Miss Muriel Cobb, a mentor teacher, came forward and signed for me to take first year Latin.  I think she did it to make a point to the faculty. Latin was not dead and students who were considering a career in the sciences should take it. She was a very exceptional, powerful, tough and special teacher. It was an incredible experience with a very big memory (not mentioned here) for me.

I joined the Latin Club and the "Toga Party" at the end of school was amazing. (photo at Flickr) It was covered in the Providence Journal newspaper of all of Rhode Island. It is one of my fondest memories. I was really fun. Of course, I took photos and kept the program for the event. 

Latin Banquet, 1965, photo of Midge Frazel

Remember these are evidence and can be cited in your personal story. Tomorrow, we will analyze the newspaper evidence for my graduation. 

Find your own artifacts, put them in archival envelopes and boxes and start writing citations.