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| Me, third row in the back far right with my finger (?) in my mouth. |
This morning while I perusing my Facebook page I came upon this picture of my third grade elementary school class taken in 1951.
Looking at this picture invoked such sweet and comforting memories for me. Our teacher at that time was "Miss Ezrah". And that is what we all called her.
Miss Ezrah was much loved by everyone. I do not remember one single person who disliked Miss Ezrah, which unfortunately I cannot say for some of my other elementary school teachers (hear that Mrs. Warren)?
Ah yes, 1951 was such an innocent time. The only thing we had to worry about then was an A-bomb dropped on us, which we had drills for by diving under our wooden desks with the metal legs screwed on the wooden floor. Even then my ten year old brain surmised ("How is this desk going to protect me from an A bomb blast?" but I digress) Back then in The Fifties you did what you were told to do especially if you were a dumb ass very insecure poor kid. Hey! We were all poor, check out the pants on my classmates in the front row. But one thing I will always remember is Miss Ezrah's classes. I learned a lot when I was in her class.
Interesting thing about this picture, which is mine by the way. I remember each and every one of my fellow classmates and their names. I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer but I do have a knack for remembering names. A useless talent for sure but all the same, something that I (sometimes) excel at. Lately I haven't been too good with names but I'm well into my eighth decade now.
I have an interesting story about Miss Ezrah. Back in 2004 I was mentioned to one of my fellow classmates who I am still friendly with and who is still alive (as I am) how much I liked Miss Ezrah. If you're curious my former fellow classmate I was talking too is pictured fourth from the left in the front row ("Billy B.")
He told me "Oh Miss Ezrah is still alive! She lives at Simpson Meadows" which is where my friend's mother also lived (that's how he knew). I told him "She must be 120 years old because she was old when she was our third grade teacher in 1951. In actuality she was only 45 years old (born in 1906). Of course to a ten year old back in The Fifties forty-five years years old was OLD.
I asked Bill B. how was she doing? He said she was find and still even walked to do her grocery shopping. WHAT? I called Simpson Meadows and made arrangements to visit her which I did on March 2, 2004.
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| Me and Miss Ezrah, my former third grade school teacher 2004 at Simpson Meadows, Downingtown |
I visited her with another fellow classmate Larry M.
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| Me, Miss Ezrah and Larry M. at Simpson Meadows, March 2, 2004 |
She remembered both of us! I tested her because I thought she was just being kind. She taught forty- one years, how could she possibly remember us? But she did! We tested her and she nailed it. Both Larry and I were, of course, very insecure goofy ten year olds. She remembered a book report I did which "my friend" Larry promptly pointed out I plagiarized from a Scrooge McDuck comic book story. Hey, I didn't even know the word "plagiarized" then let along that I "stole" the story. This even is how I met Larry and became good friends with him over the years. Larry is still alive but unable to talk now because he is in the advanced stages of ALS, which he has had for the last eight years. Larry told me that he was afraid I was going "to beat him up" at recess because he "told on me." To the contrary, when I approached him at recess I said "You have Scrooge McDuck comic books?" Sounds like me, always hustling. Turns out he had a LOT of comic books as I did and we began trading comic books from that date on. By the way, Larry is pictured in the third row in the back second from the left standing directly in front of Miss Ezrah.
At the time we visited Miss Ezrah she was ninety-eight years old. She died in 2012 at the age of one hundred and six. Talk about a life well lived.
She never married and never learned to drive a car but she left thousands of boys and girls with wonderful memories of their elementary school days.
5 comments:
You have a good memory and good memories both. You seem to have lived a good life so far. Maybe you will reach 106 also.
Jim
What a ragtime bunch??
Oh, the days when life was simpler. I was not living in 1951 but came on the scene 6 years later.
What a life well lived. God, living till one is 106. Shoot me now!! Never married, a spinster... Never learned to drive. Depending on where you live one does not need to learn. I had an employee here in Denver who moved here from New York and still does not know how to drive. She was, if I remember correctly, in her 40s. She would take the bus to work and I gave her a window starting time because the busses were about 90% reliable. I am sure she has seen a lot. She was sharp as a tack to remember you and Larry. Well, the troublemakers always stand out. Smile!!
One thing I never had a knack for was remembering names. When holding various management positions I would always fear I would forget who my employees were. I managed up to about 30 people and you know what, I never forgot a name. May take a while but I remember. Now on a personal level, if I don't have interaction with you often your name may slip from my memory. You are a smart cookie. It appears you are good with numbers as well. Math has never been my strong suit. I can do business math and let's leave it at that. I have always excelled in practical courses in college. Math and science not so much. I remember taking algebra in 9th grade. I was determined to learn it. The teacher actually called my parents and I was chastised for asking too many questions in class. My older brother was taking trig in his freshman year. He was smart as a whip but navigating through the social fabric of life was his weakness. It has to make sense to me. Math and science seem abstract.
Have a great rest of the week. Tell Bill Hi!!
Victor
XO
Jim,
In retrospect (these days) I realize what a good life I have had although at the time when I was living it, I didn't fully realize how good I had it. I still have ore memories to make but I doubt if I will make it to 106, my body is giving out now. I can hardly move in the morning when I get out of bed. I can't complain though, eighty one years is a good run.
Ron
Victor.
I know of two classmates who never learned to drive. One I wasn't surprised but I was with the other one. I almost fell into that trap but I was determined to learn how to drive. The freedom one has from driving, I'm going to hate to give it up if that time comes.
You flatter me when you say I am "good with numbers." Not so, I never got the hang of algebra or any of that other math. However, I am excellent with accounting which basically was my banking career (trust operations and reconcilement). I know "how the clock works" for money flow. One of the few natural talents I have in addition to my charisma and knock out personality (tonge in cheek here).
I'll tell Bill "Hi!" from you, even though he won't know what I'm talking about. We're hold steady here Vic.
Ron
what a lovely tale
Teachers need to know this sort of thing; that they make a difference.
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