Central High School Archives

December 23, 2013

The Bill and Ruby Show

Speech teacher and debate coach Ruby Davis was a diminutive force to be reckoned with. She was on the short list of teachers who had a major impact on my life, even if my Swampeast Missouri twang drove her to despair. As I’ve mentioned before, she could dectect the “r” in “warsh” at a hundred yards, even if you were whispering.

She never discouraged my political ambition to be President of the United States in 1984 – the earliest year the Constitution said I could serve – even though she cringed when I told her that I would invite her to Warshington to see me sworn in.

This series of two photos is a chicken-and-egg conundrum. I’m not sure which came first. Bill Hopkins’ sneak attack on Ruby (which was immediately picked up by the eyes in the back of her head) or the next shot.

You don’t mess with Ruby

I’m betting the retaliation photo was the second in the sequence.

So far as I know, no students nor teachers were harmed in the filming of this encounter.

I’m sure Ruby would be happy to know that I gave up my dream of being POTUS after campaign manager Bill Hopkins torpedoed my chances of even making it to President of the Student Body.

She would be even more surprised to learn that Bill – someone she probably thought would be lucky to become a bartender – actually became a member of the bar and a judge who was never indicted. (So far as I know.)

December 17, 2013

Drunk Drives into Ditch

Well, at least that’s what the negative sleeve said. I figured I’d better check to see what was on the roll. Yep, there’s a drunk in a ditch on 3-Mile Creek Road, but it also contained photos from the 1967 Grad Night.

The Missourian ran this on A1 with the caption: “Central’s graduates and friends held an all-night party at the Arena Building. Looking at the school yearbook, The Girardot, are from left, John Young, 1220 Bend Road, and Miss Sally Campbell, 1100 North Henderson, both graduating seniors, and John Hirsch, 1855 Thilenius, a former graduate.”

I thought the negative had a scratch on John’s face, but it turned out to be a small bandage.

The Class of 1967 looks like Coke and Squirt drinkers. The Class of 1965 party pix had more Pepsi and 7-Ups on the tables. Here is another set of ’65 Grad Night photos.

Class of 1967 photo gallery

Click on the photos to make them larger, then click on the sides to move through the gallery. The drunk in the ditch didn’t make the paper, by the way.

December 14, 2013

Grand Prize Winner Lee Dahringer

Based on the big grin on Lee Dahringer’s face, he must have been the ’65 Grand Prize winner at the Class of 1965’s Grad Night. And, from the way he’s fondling that big-screen TV, that must have been the big prize.

Lee has been featured here before

I found a larger collection of Grad Night photos in June.

Grad Night photo gallery

Here are a handful of other photos from that night. Click on the photos to make them larger, then click on the side to move though the gallery. Holler if you see yourself or someone you recognize.

December 13, 2013

1965 CHS Home Economics

Home ec teachers Shirley Poorman and Joyce Mae Sander stand by one of Central’s warshing machines. Well, that’s the way Bill Hopkins and I pronounced “washing machine ” before debate coach Ruby Davis started twisting our ears off.

This is the photo that ran in the 1965 Girardot yearbook. You can click on the photos to make them larger, but that’ll just blow up the dust spots.

Lots of dust spots on this frame

From the way the shadows are falling in this photo, I must have had my flash bolted to the left side of the camera when I tilted the camera vertically, causing the light to come from below the subject. It doesn’t hurt too much here, but if it had been a little more extreme, it would have been like the horror effect you’d get by sticking a flashlight under your chin on camping trips.

If I had warshed the film a little better, it would have had fewer spots. OUCH! OK, Ruby WASHED. (That woman sure has a long reach.)