A LOOK BACK
It's summertime -- remember how when were young that meant summer
vacation from school work for three whole months? In that time we
planned to cram as much playtime as be could. There would be time for
family trips to some far away place where those sights and sounds
would remain fresh in our memory forever.
But as kids we probably never gave a thought to what our teachers
would be doing for their summer break.
So with the 100th anniversary coming up of the Huntington Beach
City School District I thought we would look at how some of Central
Elementary school teachers planned their summer in 1958.
It would be an exciting trip in June to Oklahoma for Lois LaBard
as she visits her daughter Darlene and to see how much her four
grandchildren have grown.
After her visit with her daughter, LaBard would join three of her
fellow teachers for an exciting tour of the Rockies. Joining her
would be Florence Boosey, Dora Dow and Lea Hood.
Their trip would cover parts of the Bad Lands of South Dakota,
Yellowstone Park and the spectacular scenery found around the Grand
Teton mountains. But before returning to her class in September, Hood
planned a visit to see her family in Auburn, Calif. and relatives in
Reno, Nev.
The two Alices -- Alice Freeman and Alice Sturgeon -- planned
their summer to visit Mexico and Guatemala and to enjoy the sights
south of our border.
Rebecca MacMillan would be winging her way to Boston to see family
and to take a leisurely tour of the New England countryside and may
even get up into Canada.
Ben Gautier, his wife Nancy and their daughter Yvonne planned to
see the beautiful rock formations and cliff dwellings found in Mesa
Verde National Park.
Staying around the area for the summer, Mildred Mechling showed
her friends and relatives the beauties of Huntington Beach.
Clay Ellis and his wife hitched their trailer to their car and
drove into the southern states to spend time with friends and
relatives in Texas, Arkansas, Florida and into Nebraska.
It was Wisconsin bound for Martha Ridenour and her husband as they
spend time with her parents. Then they traveled over to Pennsylvania
to spend a short time with her husband's family.
Marjory "Pepper" Fitts spent 10 exciting days traveling with 25
high school girls in a canvas-covered stake-bed truck to Northern
California. They planned to sleep out in the open air and cook their
meals under an open sky. Their trip covered 800 to 900 miles through
redwood country and a stop at San Simeon. But before heading out
