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Forum: Memories of Driver's Ed.

TOPIC: 

Memories of Drivers Ed?

Created on: 05/13/09 11:32 PM Views: 3054 Replies: 6
Memories of Drivers Ed?
Posted Wednesday, May 13, 2009 06:32 PM

Help me out here folks!  My brother-in-law, Coach (Larry) Reid, claims to have taught most of our generation in Alton to drive.  Fact or fiction?  Any other memories?  Let us not forget the ultimate experience of our "maiden voyage" driving across the old, NARROW, Clark Bridge!

 
RE: Memories of Drivers Ed?
Posted Wednesday, May 13, 2009 09:07 PM


Kathy Korilko Grapperhaus wrote:

Help me out here folks!  My brother-in-law, Coach (Larry) Reid, claims to have taught most of our generation in Alton to drive.  Fact or fiction?  Any other memories?  Let us not forget the ultimate experience of our "maiden voyage" driving across the old, NARROW, Clark Bridge!

 

Larry who?  LOL!  I remember the name but ... Mr. (Jim) Wigger was my driving instructor.  I remember Coach Iman taught.  Felix Macias was MY brother-in-law's ... BROTHER-IN-LAW!  He thought he was going to have me on his list.

There was a girl in my group who's mother threw a fit because her daughter was taught (as the rest of us were taught) on an automatic.  Their car was a manual and the mother insisted on Wigger taking her down to get her license on an automatic.

Wigger said he would only do so if he took the whole class down to get their license.  He said that it wasn't fair to us if she was treated any different.

So we all went down to Wood River to get our license.  There was on guy that wasn't old enough to get his license.  So Wigger let him drive us all down.

On the way, we crossed the railroad tracks by East Gate (at the Islands in East Alton).  The guy was a little timid about hitting the tracks too hard and got wedged in the tracks with the front tires.

As luck would have it ... the bells started up on the tracks because a train was coming.

Jim Stroud was sitting between me and I guess the other girl.  He started yelling, "Get out of the car!" He kept beating on my arm!  Wigger had the guy driving scoot over and he got in and had to rock the car to get it unwedged and got the car off the tracks!  (The train was one of those short trains that worked up and down on that stretch of tracks.  It was moving very slow.)

I guess you could say we were dying to get our license!

Ugh!

 

 

 
Edited 05/14/09 09:06 AM
RE: Memories of Drivers Ed?
Posted Wednesday, May 13, 2009 10:54 PM

Oh my!  Kinda like, can you top this story?!

 
RE: Memories of Drivers Ed?
Posted Friday, May 29, 2009 12:55 PM

  (C'mon everybody, Kathy and I have confessed to eating paste and Norma has admitted to at least being in the car when the Driver's ED teacher got a few gray hairs. I'm sure there are others of you out there.........)

 

                        I had Mr. Perry for Driver's Ed, and he had to have the patience of a saint with me. I had only tried to drive once before I got in Driver's Ed and  was really nervous about this new adventure. The car had very touchy power brakes and my one attempt at driving was an older car without them. We were on State St. by West Jr. and a dog crossed the road, so far away you could barely tell what it was. I slammed on those power brakes and just about ejected all of us. The rest of the classes were about as disasterous and I honestly thought he was going to make me take Driver's Ed  over. But the last day when we parallel parked I didn't have any problem whatsoever and did a picture-perfect job, which I'm sure Mr. Perry thought was some sort of miracle considering my past performances! And somehow, I passed! I can't remember who was in the class with me but they're probably still laughing!

 
Edited 05/29/09 01:00 PM
RE: Memories of Drivers Ed?
Posted Tuesday, June 2, 2009 06:17 AM

I had Mr. Tyler for Driver's Ed and although I don't remember any big events in Driver's Ed I do remember failing my first test for license.  I do not know why that examiner thought I couldn't beat that car when I pulled out in front of him.  LOL.  To this day I am a fast driver waiting to do the Richard Petty Driving Experience that I was given as an anniversary gift by my husband.   Vrooom Vroom

By the way Kathy, my husband Bill was in class of 67 and he remembers your brother in law Larry Reid.

 

 
Edited 06/15/09 06:40 PM
RE: Memories of Drivers Ed?
Posted Wednesday, October 28, 2009 07:44 AM

I also had Mr Tyler for Drivers Ed.  I remember us driving to his house to pick things up.  LOL  I also failed my first test.  I don't know why.  LOL  But I do remember my boyfriend at the time taking me out to drive in his car.  I went down a one way street the wrong way and had cars coming at us.  I remember him trying to climb into the back seat.  Which I thought was strange since he was suppose to be a mature older man.  LOL  I do drive better now though.  Promise.  Peg 

 
RE: Memories of Drivers Ed?
Posted Wednesday, October 28, 2009 08:08 PM

Hi Peg!

One more funny story!  I knew that we could get some laughs from those first attempts behind the wheel.  I can visualize your boyfriend bolting over the seat!  I meant to track you down at the reunion to introduce myself, but missed.  I hope we will connect with future gatherings.

Thanks for sharing!

Kathy