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.

South Carolina, 1967-1973

     During my middle school years and my first year of high school, I was not a happy camper.  I didn't walk right, didn't talk right, wasn't violent, had braces on my teeth and a tube in my ear, wore glasses, took piano lesson, played the flute in the school band, was scared of snakes and frogs, didn't follow the boy-code well at all.  Walking to the bus stop was torture every morning, let alone just getting through the school days.

     Freshman at Goose Creek High School... Goose Creek, South Carolina 1972-73

     I think the only reason I joined the school band was so that I could get out of class and enjoy marching in parades.  I half-way played the flute during concert season.  During football season, I carried cymbals and hit them together once in awhile.  Couldn't ask for an easier job than that!

     See that black dog in the picture?  We called her "Snuffy."  She was a puppy born to one of the neighbor's dogs and was given to us after our Boston Terrier "Feebee" passed away.  Later, she gave birth to two puppies of her own.  We kept her brown puppy and caller her "Ginger."  We gave her black puppy away.  Snuffy and Ginger moved with us to Oklahoma and, later, Georgia.  Both of them lived to about 15 years of age and died during the same year.

     Our address in Goose Creek was 20 Henderson Drive 29405, but after about 7 months, we moved to Rt. 1 Box 329 B Craven Street Ladson 29456. 

Georgia, Maryland and Alaska, 1957-1967

   

     I ain't trying to be an egomaniac.  I'm simply trying to put all these pictures in one place before my computer crashes AGAIN!  Hopefully, this blog sight will stay alive for a long long time.  I might not put these pictures in the right order.  Still, you'll get the idea.

     It was Easter.  We lived in Temple Hills, Maryland.  Ours was a small house surrounded by a yard that had a few apple trees.  Daddy put a sand box and swing set in the back yard, and he got puppies for my sister and me.  We called the black puppy "Blacky" and the white puppy with the black spots "Spotty." 

Another Santa Claus, and another one, and another one came to town whether we were pouting or not.  We were living at 5140 Artic Street, Apartment F, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.  Our phone number was 377-2342. 

      I wanted to wear one of the yellow scarves and blue uniforms I saw so many other boys wear at school.  There were a lot of cub scout on that base. 








Vividly, I remember this scene so well.  While all the other cubs were swinging their swords at the great big card board dragon head, I was fighting just trying to get my sword out of the sling.