Monday, May 14, 2012
Reminders
My Aunt Lillian, when she died a fewyears back, left behind her high school year books, from 1939 when she was in the sixth grade, through 1945, when she graduated. Today, I thumbed through them, looking for Aunt Lillian and other relatives. I found several Elliott cousins--Alice, Bill, and Jim—who grew up across the street from us but are allgone now, and also saw a lot of familiar names from my youth, some of whom areprobably the parents of my school mates. But perhaps the greatest surprise was to see the number of faculty members fromthose days—well before I was born—who were also my teachers in the 1960s. Looking back, it was not that long atime between 1945 and 1966—well within a teaching career. Nevertheless, I was surprised to see those familiar, although much younger faces:
· Mr. Cohen, who taught me violin in school and,on Saturday mornings, at his home.
· Mrs. Miller, who taught 12 grade English to my mother, my Aunt Lillian, my brother, and me. Mr. Ritter, a big man who was theelementary principle when I was a boy and to whom I was sent, scared to death,when the zipper on my winter jacket became stuck. Mr. Enterline, who taught biology and was one ofmy favorite older teachers. And, there among Aunt Lillian’s peers, was Mr. Fennell, who became a teacher himself and taught world history to us in the 1960s. Aunt Lillian and I grew up in the same house on Baker Avenue—built as a temporary shelter by my grandparents who,as fate would have it, never were able to build the big house that they hadplanned for the big double lot. We shared a lot of life. She was as muchan older sister as an Aunt to me. It was great to be reminded that we also shared these teachers.
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