Who were some of your friends in school? Explain what your friends were like and what they are doing today if you know that.

My friends in school were Carol Jo Martinson, who lived at the end of our block.  She and I walked to school everyday together.  We had sleepovers at her house.  Not at my house unless it was in the back yard because we had too many kids.  These sleepovers started in high school because back in that time young kids didn't go to others houses to sleep over.  Carol was very athletic and I was not but we had lots of fun hiking around town, building forts and playing.  Carol is back in Benton City and is fighting breast cancer also.

Pam Wendling was another friend that lived close by.  We hung out together because we lived close.  Pam was a cheerleader in  high school.  We would hang out together and chase boys.  We spent a lot of time together in high school going to dances and to Prosser.  All the hot boys were in Prosser.  She now lives north of Seattle.

Shelley, my cousin, was another close friend.  Shelley and I rode horses together all over Benton City.  Shelley had a horse named Blackie.  Blackie was stabled with "Lady".  I got to ride Lady because her owner "Doc" Allen wanted Lady to get exercise.  We usually rode bareback.  We would ride around town collecting beer bottles and pop bottles.  Then we would take them to the tavern to redeem them for their deposit value.  Then off to Moon's Market to get penny candy and creme sodas.

Ginny Spencer lived close to Shelley.  She also had a horse and she would ride with us.  Ginny and I spent a lot of time chasing boys together also.  She liked going to dances and to Prosser.  Her horses name was "Star".  If she touched Star close to her tail she would always kick out her back legs.  Trick!

What subjects did you like the least? Explain why.

I didn't really dislike anything.  My lowest grade came in CWP (Contemporary World Problems) in high school.  I guess I didn't really care about what was going on in the world.  My world was Benton City and my friends.

What were your favorite subjects in school? Explain why.

My favorite subjects in elementary and middle school were spelling and math.  It came easy for me and I enjoyed it.
In high school my favorite subjects all had to do with business.  Typing, shorthand, office practice.  Also English.  My worst grade in high school was CWP (Contemporary World Problems).  I got a D.

Where did you go to school? Give some details about what was school like for you and some of your memorable experiences.

I attended school at Kiona Benton in Benton City for all 12 years.  I always walked to school.  I was a little envious of the kids that got to ride the bus.  All 12 grades were in the same school complex.  The majority of the kids that I started school with were in my graduating class.  We had approx. 50 kids in our graduating class.  I always enjoyed school.  It was never hard.  I especially enjoyed the math competitions.  You got to stand up and then stand next to the desk of the student behind you.  The teacher would ask a times table questions like 9 times 9.  Whoever answered first got to move to the next students desk.  I always tried to move all the way around the room.  Janet Hedgepath was my biggest challenge.  She was quick!

I enjoyed getting hot lunch.  Mom would make each child take turns getting hot lunch for a week.  The rest of us had our lunches packed at home.  My favorite was mashed potatoes with hamburger gravy and scalloped potatoes and ham.  We also had a milkshake machine that took a ten cent token.  They were the world's best.  My favorite games at recess in elementary school were "Red Rover", jump rope, and Jacks.

Middle school was not very memorable.

High school was fun.  Got to go to football games at night. Dances afterwards, sock hops.  I did not participate in girls sports.  There weren't many of them and I wasn't athletic.  I was a member of the girls drill team that performed at half time during basketball games.  I was a member of FBLA, which was Future Business Leaders of America.  As a senior I received the top award at the Senior Recognition night.  I was asked to quit Swing Choir because I had such a poor voice!  Traumatized.  My group of girl buddies enjoyed skipping chorus, which was just before lunch period.  We would get in Pam Harmon's studebaker and drive to Richland, get a fifty cent lunch at the Arctic Circle Drive-In  and then drive to Zip's to eat it.  Zip' was more expensive so we couldn't afford it.  Sometimes we would stop and buy Swisher Sweet cigars and smoke them on the way to Richland.  We were real rebels.  My grade point at graduation was 2.8.  I thought it was pretty good.  Mom and dad didn't put much pressure on getting really high grades.  As long as we didn't get a D we were in good standing.

I never attended a Kegger. I was too afraid that Clyde and Theresa would catch me.  I didn't drink during high school but I did smoke cigarettes.  Didn't smoke marajuana either during high school either.  I saved that for after high school.  I wasn't adventurous enough in high school to risk getting in trouble.