School Story:
Started PAHS as sophomore fall 1956. First day of school was picnic at La Plage. Raced Bill Ely, Robbins, and Clay Byers. Ely & I tied, just touching out Robbins. Clay Byers beat us by a length of open water. I always expected to see him in the Olympics. Anyhow, the french national team set a new national record that year in the 400 meter relay. I thought we would have beaten them by a couple seconds.
That fall we had a boys only assembly in the Auditorium. Some brass told us about the evacuation plan through Spain to Portugal if we went to war with Russia over Hungary. Us guys would get driver training and be assigned to drive family cars in the convey for wives who didn't drive. (What sexist society?)
I ran for School Fool that year and Won, but lost my bid for class office. Got beat by some guy named Chris. Hung out with Bill Ely and Jack Ralston, tried to get a flat top like theirs, but my hair wouldn't stand up. (Its mostly gone now.) They took me to the Jeau de Pomme, and the incredible exhibit of impressionists, expressionists, & etc. I went back a lot. (I was disappointed to find it replaced by traveling exhibits when I was on leave from Iceland.) Prom that year on Bateau Mouche.
Junior year was crazy. On my 16th birthday, a Sunday night, I got special permission to go to a movie at the base and play cards with friends on the way home. Ended up drunk in Paris at a bar frequented by dancers from the Folies, two english dancers found out I was 16, and had me kissing all their friends. Got home in time to change clothes and go to school, grounded for two months. Later that Fall hung out with Bledsoe at Shape Village; ended up with an Italian girlfriend who taught me some wrong Italian. I unwittingly propositioned her father at a new years eve party. He was horrified until he realized his children had set me up. Kept missing the last bus home, and running the 12 miles from St. Germaine en Laye to Garches. It's too bad we didn't have cross country track. I usually did the 2-1/2 miles from Petite Beuaregard to our house in Garches in 15 minutes.
That spring the french went crazy. The Algerian Crisis hit the fan, the government was failing. We would go to Carl Dye's house in Port St. Cloud after school to play cards and watch the french troops camped out in the vacant lot next door in case the revolution became a reality. Paris was off limits. Good thing our Prom was at the Henry Quatre in St. Germaine. Went to the Prom with Prudi Johnson. She wore heels and the view was incredible when we danced. There's a picture of me in the year book peeping over her bare shoulder.
Senior year was football and hanging out with Karl Heinz Werner Von Braun Dickl and Thomas Orrin Develbis (Tod) Winebrenner. (If anybody knows where Tod is, please let me know.) I watched a bowl game a couple of Years ago in which Heinz's record field goal was broken.
Spring trip to London, Carmen Meacham serenading us on the deck of the night ferry to England. Carmen and I thinking we were going to see Jose Greco's Flamenco Troupe one night and ending up seeing another troupe that was so good the audience brought them back for 16 encores and then clapped for a solid hour after that. We missed curfew, and found the chaperones in the bar. No problem.
The song blaring from all the pubs was "Lollipop". I later hung out with the guy who wrote the lyrics. A guy in his band dated a girl named Lalli. We got invited to a Buddy Holly memorial show by some Brit bands.
Missed the last bus again from the last school party I attended in Vaucresson. Walked and ran all the way into Paris, we were staying in a hotel in Paris for a few days just before leaving. Had my contact lenses in too long and cried my last day and night in Paris. Went to L'Abbaye that night. Gordon Heath and Lee Payant were still there in 1968.