Hello BHS'65 classmates.
For those of us who spent our early years growing up on the south side of Batavia...we remember Lincoln School on Williams Street.as our Kindergarten thru Fifth Grade Alma Mater.
Sharon Wetzel was one of the Lincoln group. She was a friendly, sweet, person with a lot of maternal makeup-potential... as she was always a shoulder for us to cry on, a confidant for both genders to tell secrets to...and NOW - to remember for her beautiful human qualities after her recent passing.
There are many awesome memories of Sharon, for me...but I want to tell you about a very silly one...LOL:
Back in the Mid Fifties...ELVIS was King! Unless, you were an adult in which case he was Satan personified. All those sexy gyrations...Hypnotic voice and ROCK AND ROLL!
WHAT A GUY!!!!!!
But who cared what parents and teachers thought...to young people around the world...he was the best thing since sliced bread!
Well...I do so declare that Sharon Wetzel was his absolute biggest fan...at least in Batavia! She had Elvis scrapbooks, Elvis 45s, Elvis vinyl albums and even an Elvis Lunchbox (Lincoln School did not have a cafeteria...so you had to brown bag lunch unless you had wealthy parents who would buy you a metal lunchbox :-) in which case you were envied by your poorer classmates)
OK, NOW BACK TO MY STORY...The Year was 1957...Elvis was hotter than Hell (What else...he was Satan, wasn't he?) And Miss Gertrude Maher, the Fifth grade teacher was allowing all the good kiddies to bring in their favorite Christmas Record to play during our holiday party the day before Christmas Vacation started.
Well, Sharon's mom had bought her the Elvis Christmas album as an early gift. Naturally, that was her record choice to bring for the party and we were all looking at the album cover and photos inside sleeve...and wishing that Santa would bring us the same gift...
Soooooooooo after our share of Percy Faith,, Johnny Mathis, Harry Simeon Chorale ... Sharon raised her hand and Miss Maher nodded for her to put her record on the turntable...
Gotta tell ya...as soon as old Elvis started....that honky tonk version of (I'll have a) Blue Christmas.. munchkin sized and soft spoken Gertie Maher's face twisted in a buffet of emotions as she growled WHAT IS THAT TRASH???????!!!!!! She leaped up out of her teacher chair and with incredible hulk strength grabbed the record off the player and the album cover along with Sharon's arm and marched Ms. Wetzel off to Principal Mary Strollo's office for "the sermon on the mount" - it must have been a loooooooooonnnnnnnnnggggggggggg session 'cause no one saw Sharon anymore that day. However, the next day we (the friends of Sharon) all convened and went ice skating at the Otis/Osterhout Avenue frozen swamp..And, where we had a good laugh with Sharon over her Elvis-Pelvis Christmas escapade.
She was always a good sport with a positive/happy disposition. Time marched on and our circles of friends grew...and some got lost in the process of our lives.
It is a shame that we loose contact with the folks who were our youth...
but, on second thought...we never really loose them as they are always alive and well in our hearts and memories.
God bless you Sharon...
thank you for the memories...and to you I wish eternal peace and harmony in the fields of our LORD.
Ms. Sharon K. Wetzel Armstrong