I remember taking violin lessons and playing sports.  I never was very good but enjoyed being with friends like Mike Stump, Dave Weldy and many others. I remember drills we would have, and we would be marched out in the hallways, kneel down, and put our hands over our heads. It may have been the Cuban missile crisis but I don't exactly remember.

        I remember getting whacked on the rear end for acting up in lunch line by the principal.   I also remember Mrs. Huntley giving the board to someone in the hallway.  Those were the days.

        I struggled in 5th grade. Not sure why --  other than that I did not get along with Mrs. Seitz.

        The biggest memory I have is one day when Mrs. Seitz walked into the classroom with tears in her eyes. We all looked at each other wondering what had happen or what was wrong. She looked at us with her watery eyes and said President Kennedy has just been killed.  I remember all of us then being moved over to the other 5th grade class, and we watched the news on TV. Kind of one of those "do you remember where you were when this happened?" kind of thing -- something I will never forget.

        On the lighter side, this grade was the first time we did our violin recital in front of the school in the auditorium. Picture this: we played the theme to Beverly Hillbillies on the violin.  Now, who would of thunk THAT up?   Why, that would have been our music teacher, Mr. Jefferson, whom I eventually had for a music class at Central Jr. High.

        This was a good year. I remember having fun going to school, I believe, for the first time.

        We were recording a play on a tape recorder and someone in our class brought in a small cannon to shoot off for sound effects. I guess they should not have blasted it in the hallway outside of our classroom. Before you knew it, we had every teacher and principal at the door, wondering what had happened. I am sure Mrs. Miller got in trouble for that one. Today we would have been all arrested.

        I think this was my first play that we did on stage:  Macbeth. I was scared to death even with the small part I had. Don Hardesty played Macbeth. I remember walking out on stage and trying to say my lines. Bright lights, all those people . . . not for me.

        Anita Beal and I had road guard together at the school crossing in front of the school. I remember those gates we had to swing out when the light changed.

        Bob Shugg and I were friends at Westwood. I ran into Bob again while taking classes at Lima Technical College. We both were using our VA loans since coming home from military service. 

        I remember having lunch with June Crist and Lois Fryer in the school auditorium where they would roll out these long tables.

        Mrs. Miller didn't come to class one day and we waited and, finally, a substitute showed up. We were told that Mrs. Miller lived in the Cairo area and, the night before, Palm Sunday I believe, is when the tornado hit. Her farm only got some minor damage but she was out helping her neighbors who had completely lost their homes.

        I remember Janet Levy playing the song "Downtown" by Petula Clark on the piano for the class, and my thinking how talented she was. 

        Like hiding in the woods at the Westwood carnival and jumping on the hayride without tickets as it went by.

        The sounds of playing kickball on the baseball diamond at recess or rocket ball in the gym. 

        Playing marbles with Mike Stump on the gravel area in back of the school -- that is, until he brought the steel balls, "steelies."  A glass marble was no match for those.  Aw well. . .