As I browsed through the yearbooks, I realized the people I remembered best (besides our volleyball team) were those from Hickory Grove. I have fond memories of our grade school classes and teachers. From third grade I still have my recipe booklet we stamped with carved potato halves, and I can hear Miss Proctor’s voice saying in exasperation, “Randy!” In fourth grade Mrs. Brooks displayed her prize baseball that she caught in her skirt, offered us “free’s” for memorizing poems and the Gettysburg Address, let us stand on the back counter to paint a winter mural on the back bulletin board, and was finally convinced one spring afternoon that we should go to the basement when we pointed out the funnel cloud we saw out the window. I loved listening to Mr. Hunter in fifth grade as he read aloud Johnny Tremain and A Wrinkle in Time. Gym class with Mr. Highfill was great that year, and our class team was often a winner.
At Old Mission Mr. Getz’s class was a highlight—both in class and out. We had a competitive game of flag football between the boys and the girls and went to a Royals game (maybe the home opener?).
At SMN it was a thrill to take state in volleyball two years in a row. I think we did so well because we had great team unity. I loved being in the pep club and cheering on our football and basketball teams. College sports weren’t near as much fun.
My greatest accomplishments? I think raising three daughters, homeschooling them (thanks for the suggestion, Pam Davenport!), and seeing them become kind and well-balanced adults. In 1975 I started serving for two weeks every June at NeKaMo Camp, and now it’s a family affair with my husband, daughters, and sons-in-law and perhaps one day with my grandchildren.
