My education at Mtn. Grove High School began my sophomore year in the fall of 1957. My family moved to Mtn. Grove from Niangua, Mo. for my father to manage the milk plant.

I came along kicking and screaming. It was not a pretty sight. It was not a move I wanted to make. I'm pretty sure my teenage surliness and sarcasm were not lost on the school staff or my peers. It might as well have been a high school of 3000 rather than (I'm guessing) 300 plus students. To me, it was so large it was terrifying. Eventually, with the efforts of a sympathetic principle and office staff but mostly with the help of Sondra and Dixie Isenburg, Mary Helen Catlett, and later Barbara Finley, Joyce and Phyllis Cantrell, and my dear friend Brenda Pridemore, I got over my nerves and hatred of my uprooting. By the end of the year I has learned to appreciate the individuality of all my classmates as well as many others in the classes ahead and behind us. An appreciation I hold fifty years later.

The following are some things I learned during my short tenure in Mtn. Grove that contributed greatly to my education. Most likely they could only be learned in small town USA. Some will recognize their contributions, some will not.

1. Eating mashed potatoes, bread, and orange soda for lunch at the local diner were not considered strange by many students.

2. Potato chips with catsup and coke were a delicacy from Tilley's drugstore.

3. Working with peers in the local general store (Carps) could really be fun.

4. Riding uncomfortable buses to ballgames was considered an honor and pleasure.

5. Yelling your head off at a football or basketball game was the ultimate American experience.

6. Walking home, 1/2 mile or more, late at night, with a good friend while we solved the worlds problems under the street light solidified an friendship for life. Didn't even worry about danger. (Couldn't do that today).

7. Riding with some of your friends might get you killed. Riding bikes with Shorty will get you killed.

8. Prom decorating-fun, ingenuity and creativity without a lot of expensive props.

9. Mrs. DeBusk's homemake class, how fun....never wore a thing I made. But I did well in the home nursing segment.

10. School activities-various clubs, cheerleading, drum corp, politics (class offices, student body etc.) all a part of growing up and getting ready for the real world. Although I seem to remember being the only one in Dr. Walker's office because several of us, who shall remain unnamed, complained loudly, in the local cafe, about graduating on the football field instead of in, the probably condemned, auditorium? Politics was never my foray.

11. Of course, riding up and down the main drag, around A & W, back down around the square, then down to the outdoor theater (how many can you stuff in a car?)

12. and having a good friend already married so you could stop by and go potty if needed.

As it turned out it was the best move for my education. I met the school nurse, Mrs. Broom, to whom I will be eternally thankful for influencing my future profession. Plus this school offered the subjects needed to get me into nursing.

As I look back over the many and varied accomplishments of my class it speaks well of the educational opportunities given to the students by the administration and faculty. Without the background we were afforded it would have been much more difficult for each to reach their goals. I will always be grateful to Dr. Walker and the many excellent educators who contributed to my achievements as an individual as well as a professional. Thank You.

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