EDS 2

The "uniform" for boys in 1952 was a short sleeve shirt, heavily starched, dark blue jeans with reinforced knees and three inch cuffs, and black high topped, white rubber soled U.S. Keds tennis shoes. I’m holding a dark blue lunch box, complete with a thermos bottle inside. Sara got a ride to school with one of her friends so Mom could spend some time with me on the first day. She parked in the front of the school and we climbed the tall steps from the street to the wide walk that led to the pinkish brick building.
It had a large covered porch area in front of two sets of metal and glass double doors. A smiling lady directed us to a large room with long rows of tables and a stage. It was called a cafetorium, a combination cafeteria and auditorium. We sat at a table with other kids and their mothers. All the grades were in there which meant grades second through sixth were kids who were coming from other schools. When the room was full, a woman at the front of the room tapped on a microphone on a floor stand to get everyone’s attention. She introduced herself as the principal of the school and welcomed everyone to the opening day of the school. Then it started, the sorting of all the kids in the room into classes, beginning with the first grade. The names of the kids were called in alphabetical order. I was called in the first class, Michael H,,,,,, ????? (I still hate my middle name.) Every year my middle name would be called, like there’s another Michael ???? in the world. I got out of my chair. Mom grabbed me and gave me a big kiss and hug and pushed me toward the front of the room. I got in line, in alphabetical order behind my teacher, Mrs. Byron. When all the kids, all thirty-one of us, were in line, Mrs. Byron told us to follow her. We walked out the door, all of us looking back at our mothers; went down the hall to the first door on the left, through a door to the outdoor walkway of the first wing, of the two winged school, to the first classroom and into a new world.