I do remember the name of the principal at Carlile Elementary when I was there, who was Leo Fisher.

It is 8:45 am in Okinawa now, on Wednesday, January 23. I just phoned Tom Keach in Pueblo, where it is 4:45 pm on Tuesday, January 22. I am not making this up.

He was very pleasant and, as Jeff Arnold has said to me, is a nice guy. He denied pulling me up out of my seat by my hair in his 8th grade Colorado history classroom. But he did. He denied it in a nice way, so I forgave him, even though he denied it.

I even said, “God Bless You, Tom” knowing full well there probably is no God, certainly not a personal God……..but I digress.

I love to digress. I would rather digress than do almost anything else.

Tom seems to be leading an active and meaningful life at age 79. I believe he lives with his wife Louise, who answered the phone.

God Bless,

Ray in Okinawa

Seriously, I am fairly sure coach Bob Trevithick taught Boys’ Health at Keating. I remember him very well: short, athletic, crew cut. I think he coached football, and maybe other sports. I looked in our Central annual and found Harold Trevithick, who taught shop. Harold was not a coach as far as I know, but I do believe he was the older brother of Bob Trevithick. Of course I could be right that Bob Trevithick taught Boys’ Health at Keating, and still he might not have been the teacher in your sex ed class.

I do not remember Dorothy Wambaugh at all, in spite of her apparent beauty. I have no memory of seeing a short, red-haired teacher-beauty with large breasts at Keating. I do remember her name, however.

I do remember Coach Slack as a rather primitive dude, short and with huge biceps. I think he was a little quirky, as he seemed to enjoy actually physically hurting male students by pinching their middle shoulder area (trapezius muscle) to the point that the student would sometimes be forced to drop to his knees. He did this as a discipline to let you know he was not pleased. He pinched me a number of times. Actually I think he did it just to have fun.

Speaking of quirky, I do remember fastidious Mr. Davidson who, as you said, was probably gay. I also remember you previously wrote something about the time he confiscated a squirt gun during class (maybe yours), and stomped it to bits in front of the class. I wish that I could have seen that!

I never had Dorothy Wambaugh as a teacher. My Colorado history teacher in the 8th grade was Tom Keach. I liked him okay until the day when he (apparently) became very upset because I was talking as he was teaching. He walked up to my desk and, without warning, literally pulled me out of my seat by my hair. Swear to God! To this day I regret that I did not take some kind of action against him. It really hurt. In those days I guess teachers could get away with that kind of crap!

On the event of my mother’s surprise 80th birthday dinner in Pueblo (wife Kemme and I actually traveled from Germany to attend in 1989), I had occasion to meet Tom Keach again, since he was invited to the dinner. When we met again, I just shook hands, even as I thought very seriously of reminding him then and there of the hair-pulling incident. I doubt if he would have remembered it.

I am hoping for another chance to meet Tom Keach, and hear what the hair-pulling bully of junior high boys has to say. Now that I am grown, I doubt that he would say much.

Make my day, Tom.

Ray

No, Jerry I was not in Coach Trevithick’s class when you farted.

Please send cash for my correct answer. No coins please.

Thank you, and goodnight.

Ray in Okinawa

Bob, the principal was “Old Man” Leo Scharton. His daughter, Sharon, was in our class. Old Man Scharton was probably all of 45.

Ray, don’t be accusing me. Weren’t you in that class too?

Does anyone have any pictures from Keating? Did we take class pictures? I don’t have any.

I’ll bet you never farted, not even once, in delicious Dorothy Wambaugh’s homeroom.

yer ‘ol pal, Ray

Had you had money enough for Wambaugh’s huge, huge emerald engagement ring, she would have picked you. I know she would have! Wasn’t she gorgeous? She suggested that the motto for our class be the word “perservance.” Until seventh grade, I’m rather certain that that word had never been in my vocabulary, much less the understanding of its meaning. I’ve thought of her many times because of it.

Cordelia Smith’s second period lessons were also invaluable. “I think that I shall never see . . . ” or “When earth’s last picture is painted, and the tubes are twisted and dried . . .” Unlike Wambaugh, Cordelia looked the teacher part, but I came to like and appreciate her a lot.

Carl Wilkerson. Was he the miner’s son?

l.