Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Oklahoma, 1973-1977

     I was much happier in Oklahoma than in South Carolina.  I loved Altus High School where I graduate in 1976.  While in Oklahoma, I worked at Harkins Dairy Queen for $1 and hour, Sonic Drive In for $1.40 an hour, and at Harvey's Restaurant for $2.20.

     Altus was (and still is) a small town surrounded by cattle yards and various farm fields.  You could ride a bicycle around the whole town with a couple hours of pedalling at a moderate pace.  We lived on the Air Force Base.  Our address was 114 Echo Street.  I can't remember what our phone number was.

     Besides going to school, I enjoyed going to Church at Park Lane Assembly of God as often as I could.  Not only that, I enjoyed bowling (with friends and on the youth league), playing tennis, and going out to eat pizza.




     I was not a very smart student. I excelled at typing, office machines, Art, Social Studies, English and Wood Shop, and barely got by in Geometry, Algebra, and Spanish. Still, most of the teachers were nice. Most of the students were nice. All the school assemblies, concerts, all school productions, and ball games were fun.




     When I first dreamed of going there, the cost for going to Oral Roberts University (ORU) amounted to about $2000 a year.  By the time I graduated from high school, four years later, that amount had nearly doubled.  After enjoying a visit to the campus for one of their Youth Seminars, I submitted an application for admission.  I was turned down.
    


     At first I said I wanted to major in Math.  Then, I changed my mind to Social Sciences.  To tell you the truth, I didn't really know what I wanted to do.  During my first and only semester at Southwestern Oklahoma University my classes were these: Biology, Government, Swimming, Gymnastics, English, Piano, and Algebra.  On weekends, I drove back home to Altus to work a weekend job at Harvey's restaurant.



     I don't now why I didn't go there from the start, but I took Philosophy, US History, Speech, Marriage and the Family, and English there during my second semester of college. The new Western Oklahoma State College campus was near my work place, kinda on the edge of town.  Shortly after that spring semester ended, I moved from Oklahma to Georgia and, so, transfer to my third college.

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