GARRY DASHNER - JAMES ELEMENTARY

I had many pleasant days at James Elementary. My brother and I were just 5 years of age, but we walked the 3 blocks to school. Back then, the kids walked and there was no danger of them being molested, because neighbors every step of the way kept an eye on the children going to and from school. One of my remembrances was that two little girls wanted to play house and they asked me to be the daddy, so I said, "Okay!" I took a toy dump truck as my vehicle. Unfortunately, the truck belonged with a set of building blocks and one of the teachers (we had two) made me give it to the guys with the blocks. Talk about a revolting development. There I was, with two wives and I didn't have a way to get to work. Not only that, but I had an auto theft charge hanging over my head.

I remember walking home from school, turning around and seeing a cute little red-haired girl, wearing a nice plaid dress, following me. I think her name was Georgia. "Charlie Brown" isn't the only one who has ever had a little red-haired girl come into his life. My mother told me that the little girl's mother said that she had a crush on me and that's why she was following me around. I must admit that when I was five, I was awful cute. I remember all these good-looking women wanting to pick me up and hug me and kiss me. Boy! I wish I was five years old again!

One time there was a fund-raiser or something going on at the school. They had what was known as a "Cake Walk". The mothers would bake cakes and donate them to the school. A circle with numbers on it was painted on the floor. Music would play and the kids would walk around the circle. When the music stopped, whoever was on a certain number square won a cake. Me and my brother won several cakes. It was an amazing streak which I don't think has ever been equaled at any Cake Walk. If you ever hear people say that Garry really takes the cake, now you know why.

I remember one time that my grandmother took me up to Bethany Baptist Church at Lawndale & Scarritt. They were having some kind of get-together. I remember sitting at a table and eating a sandwich. I looked around me and I was the center of attention. All of the old people were looking at me and smiling. There was an incredible amount of love for kids in the 1950's. I guess that's because America had lost so many of her children in WWII & Korea that she didn't want to lose anymore. Therefore, love and protection for the younger generation was the order of the day during that period of time. There was an old fellow by the name of Uncle Ezra who was on one of the local TV stations (we only had three back then) who showed old Western movies. Before he left the air, he would point his finger and say, "And take good care of your youngin's!"

At the age of five, little did I realize that only ten short years later, everything was to change. Hundreds of thousands of young Americans would be sent to a place called Vietnam where tens of thousands would be killed or wounded. Thousands of young people in America would turn to drugs and become hippies. Many of them would march against their country. That's what happens when children aren't protected and you allow criminals and idiots to run the Government. JESUS tells us that when righteous men are in control, there is peace in the land.

On the Easter of 1954, I woke up and couldn't walk. I was taken to St. Mary's hospital where I was diagnosed with encephalitis. These days, I think they would probably identify it as "West Nile" disease. But, I recovered within a short time. That was just the first of many sicknesses and injuries I would suffer all of my life. I still have the letter sent to my mother where the teachers said they were sorry Garry missed so many days, but he would be advanced to Grade 1. My Kindergarten teachers were Miss Muriel Gibson and Miss Marjorie Carter.

I played one of 3 woolly caterpillars in a play given in the school auditorium. My mother made me kind of a stocking-like puppet which fit over my right arm which we wiggled to simulate movement. I was left-handed, but since the other two guys were righties, I had to do it that way too. We left the stage and our 3 female counterparts fluttered around in little butterfly outfits. I wiggled my way into elementary Vaudeville.

One time, we were playing outside at Recess. It was cold weather and we were all wearing caps. Me and two other guys were throwing our hats in the air. For some reason, that was a no-no. We were sent to the Principal's Office. Her name was Olive Ditzell. I didn't know how old she was, but I thought she came over on the Ark with Noah. You know how it is when you're a kid. You think anybody over 30 is a "Methusaleh" and anybody over 50 roamed the Earth in the time of the dinosaurs. Anyway, she gave us a lecture and told us to hold out our hands. She hit each one of us on the back of the hand with a ruler. It was such a light tap that I laughed. She didn't like me laughing, so she hit me on the back of the hand again. I've had leaves fall on my hand that hurt worse than that. Nevertheless, I quit laughing. To this day, I believe I'm the only student who ever got struck on the back of the hand twice at James Elementary. An honor I am very proud of to this day. There I was, just 6 years old and even the 6th Graders respected me. "Don't mess with him! He' tough! He took the ruler twice and lived to tell about it!" I have to admit, it was the first disciplinary action taken against me at elementary school. I learned an important lesson that day. If you throw your hat in the air, you get the ruler. I guess the lesson was learned, because to this day, I have never taken my cap off and thrown it in the air. I can't help but believe that if I do, there's a ruler waiting somewhere for me.

My brother and I were supposed to walk up and down Scarritt street only. But, one time I got brave and walked home going up St. John Avenue, one of the area's main drags. I told my mother about it and she wasn't too happy. From then on, until I got older, I stayed away from the big streets. My First Grade teacher's name was Mrs. Chrisman.

About the biggest thing that happened to me in the 2nd Grade was that I threw up on my part of one of the student tables after drinking chocolate Ovaltine for lunch. It was embarrassing. Right there in front of GOD and the whole class. I think I nailed the students on either side of me. The custodian came in and cleaned up the mess. I remember he gave me a dirty look as he was leaving. Boy! The guy who said, "Hey kids! Be sure to drink your Ovaltine!", should be forced to drink it himself! I remember that around this time I had a "Davey Crockett" lunch box and thermos. I wish I had those items now. From what I understand, they're going for some serious change. My 2nd Grade teacher's name was Mrs. Jacobs.

I remember my Third Grade teacher always had us say the, "Pledge of Allegiance" and then the LORD's Prayer before we started class. Any teacher who did that these days would probably be placed under arrest. Even though the United States Constitution specifically states that GOD cannot be kicked out of schools, He's been kicked out anyway. And He's not coming back unless He's invited, either. JESUS said, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." Don't you think it's about time we let Him in again!?

Half-way through the school year she got married. It didn't sit too well with me. You know how it is when you're 8 years old. You're possessive about things. You don't want to share your teacher with anybody. I didn't care how good-looking he was, let him get his own Third Grade teacher, I saw her first!

She was one of my favorite teachers. She once took us up to Budd Park to play softball. She pitched and we each took turns batting. On my turn when swinging, the bat went flying from my hands and hit a tree. She wasn't too happy about that. Well, somebody could have been hurt. My feelings weren't hurt because she yelled at me. However, I was very embarrassed.

Another memory I have of this time is we used to go to a room down the hall, I believe it was Room 15. It was the movie and one of the music rooms. It was a real treat for us kids. The teachers would show us movies, usually about health and other stuff we needed to know, and sometimes we played instruments and sang songs. There were two drums among the instruments. Oh, how I wanted to get to play one of those drums! But, I ended up getting some, I think they were called rythym sticks, instead. Anyway, you tap them together at a certain beat.

Our teacher's mother, who was also a teacher, taught us a few times when her daughter couldn't make it to school. I remember that we were taught how to write in script, instead of just printing letters. And, we had to make it legible too. Look, I'm giving it to you straight. There was a time in this country when children were actually taught how to read and write.

The teacher used to bring a few of us at a time to a round table in front for reading lessons. I was in the advanced group. One time we were reading a story and came to the word "mosquito." The teacher didn't know if we could pronounce it, but Gloria Organ did. This did not sit too well with me. I always liked girls, but when you're young and male, you don't like being upstaged by a person of the female persuasion. I was one of the brightest kids in the class and if anybody deserved to know how to pronounce the word, it was me. Miss Organ, if you are reading this and we ever meet at a future school reunion, do me a favor and don't walk up to me and say, "mosquito." I never got over the humiliation.

I once made "Chalkboard Monitor". It was our job to take a wet cloth and wipe down the blackboards and to go outside and beat the erasers with a ruler to get the chalk dust out. We were told not to beat the erasers against the school walls. You guessed it! Never tell an 8-year-old kid not do do something, because you're just going to arouse their curiosity. I took an eraser and was "Beating It" against school walls long before Michael Jackson was born. Being a Chalkboard Monitor or having some other similar position is good for kids at an early age. It teaches responsibility and makes them feel important.

Another of my memories is a fellow Classmate, Bill Soligo, who had this rabbit. Anyway, me and Bill went from classroom to classroom showing off that rabbit. That was a big treat for a kid to get out of class. I remember that I tried to slow things down a bit. Hey! There was no hurry to get back to class!

Another memory was that of putting on a play. I think it was about the Pilgrams and the Indians. Since I was one of the tallest boys in the class, I had a chance to play, I think it was the Indian Chief, Powhattan. When I was trying on the headdress, I kept losing feathers. This cost me the part and I ended up playing a tree. Playing the part of a tree is not easy. You have to hold your branches (arms) just right. The audience can spot a phony tree a mile away.

The best thing my teacher ever did was have a Class snapshot of her and us kids. I still have it. I wish all teachers would do the same. When you're young, you don't care about keeping sentimental items. But, as you get older, you wish you had. With this old World going crazier by the minute, it sure is nice to look back at your youth and remember when things were not quite as nuts. My 3rd Grade teacher's name was Miss Michaels and when she got married, it was changed to Mrs. Kershaw.

We were offered an opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument. I don't think we had a school band as such. A female instructor, whose name was Miss LaPere (I'm not sure of the spelling), came around and those kids who had chosen music were allowed to get out of class for an hour of practice. We had our own music room, which was also used by various classes to sing songs. I elected to play the cornet. My mother rented one for me at Jenkins Music company. One day, some mean unknown person, damaged my horn when it was sitting in the cloak room and we had to take it to Jenkins to get it fixed. The man said they had to take a blow torch to free the stuck valve. It cost $15.00 which was a lot of money back then.

I remember that I sat next to a cute little blonde girl on the back row. I think her name was Linda. She had a pony tail and every once in a while, she wore one of those famous 50's Poodle skirts. Back then, the girls wore dresses, which in some cases were homemade and rivaled that of anything you could find in a department store. You heard me right. I said department stores. They sold items made in the good old U.S.A. They weren't like discount stores today which sell cheap foreign things and put Americans out of work. On Valentine's Day, we would exchange cards with each other. All the kids exchanged cards with each other. It wasn't a boy-girl deal. We gave Valentine's cards to each other, regardless of sex, as a sign of friendship. Anyway, my mother had bought me a package of cards that included two really beautiful cards that had glitter on them. I gave one to Linda. I remember that she got all excited over it. Mothers used to drop by the classes every once in a while to check on the kids and see what was being taught. She showed the card to her mother and the way she acted, I thought we were going to have to get married. This scared me because I didn't even have a job yet. I was still living at home with my parents. There was no way I could support a wife on my weekly allowance. Besides, that was reserved for candy and toys, not girls. Of course, if we would have gotten married, our income would have doubled because there would have been two allowances. That would have meant more candy and toys.

Jack LaLanne used to have an exercise program on TV which once got me in trouble. He'd do this facial exercise in which you tighten up your neck muscles and you'd look like a lizard. This would help keep you from getting turkey neck or lizard throat when you got older. Anyway, while waiting with the rest of the class to get into the gymnasium, I started doing the excercises. My teacher thought I was doing it to make fun of her. I told her I was doing my neck exercises, but she didn't believe me. By the way, I still do the exercise to try and keep my neck skin tight. Thanks, Jack!

I only have one bad memory of the 4th Grade. One time, in good old Room 15, somebody started throwing a big paper wad. It landed on my desk. I may have been just 9 years old, but nobody throws a wad of paper on my desk and gets away with it. I picked it up and threw it back. The teacher had been out of the room at the time. I didn't think nothing of the incident until Recess came. I think just about anybody will tell you that in Grade School, Recess was what kid's hoped for. It was almost as important as the Second Coming of CHRIST. I was getting ready to play a board game with my friends (we played inside if it was real cold or snow was on the ground). I just happened to look towards the door and there were two little girls talking to the teacher. Then they pointed their fingers at me. To this day, I do not know what they said and what was going on. All kids involved in the notorious "Paper Wad Throwing Incident" were sent back to Room 15 and had to sit still for all of Recess. Oh, was I upset. I had been labeled a criminal because I chose to defend my desk from a foreign object. Where was the Justice! I don't care if it did happen over 60 years ago. If I ever run into those two girls who took away my Recess, you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna wad up two pieces of paper and throw it on their desks! Nobody snitches me out of Recess and gets away with it! I know what you're going to say: "GARRY, you're in your 70's. Grow up man!" That's a matter of opinion.

My great achievement in the 4th Grade was that we had to learn our multiplication tables up to 12. The teacher had us walk the aisle from desk to desk and stand next to another student. She would then give us a multiplication problem such as, "What is 4 x 8". Whoever answered first, got to move to the next desk. I was the only one who went completely around the classroom giving the answers before anyone else. I beat everybody!

One big event in my life when I was ten was that I had my appendix taken out. It was in the Summer of 1958 before I went back to school. It was done at St. Joseph hospital. Since then a new hospital has been built further south. I was in a ward on the East side with three men. I don't know what the man on my far left was in for, but the guy immediately to my left had lost some toes because of a lawn mower accident. He was real nice and let me watch whatever I wanted on the TV he rented. I remember everybody got a kick out of watching Guy Williams as Zorro on Thursday night. I'd watch the afternoon cartoons. I had to quit watching too much because the operation made my side hurt when I laughed. It's kind of sad when a child can't laugh. The fellow on my right had something wrong with his lungs, because they had to take a big syringe and drain fluid off of his chest every once in a while. I remember that he smoked in bed which didn't make since due to the fact that he was having problems with his chest. I also watched Howdy Doody on Saturday morning. At that time, Buffalo Bob Smith told the kids that they were to spot a certain number that might appear anywhere on the show. When they saw it, they were to write the number down on a postcard and send it to the show and they would have a drawing to pick several winners for a prize. If my memory serves me correct, Clarabelle had a number on his belt. He never spoke. He just honked a horn. Anyway, I sent the postcard in, but never won anything.

I once got out of school for a few days to go up to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota to see if they could do anything about my right eye. I remember that it was a very clean place, especially the restrooms. My mother took me up on the train and then we had to take a bus into Rochester. It was the first time I had ever stayed at a hotel. I remember that the people everywhere were real nice. Almost dead or crippled from encephalitis at the age of 5, blind in one eye from about the age of 8 and an appendix operation at the age of 10. That's the nice thing about being a kid. No matter how much the Devil attacks you, you can bounce back from anything. Such is GOD and His Wisdom.

My musical instrument instructor in the 5th Grade was Mr. Hankins. I wanted to play saxophone, but he thought it would be too hard for me to learn to play. So, instead of growing up to be a sleezy saxaphone player in some strip joint, I became a conservative cornetist. I wasn't about to become a wild trumpet player, either. Those guys aren't too bright anyway. That's why trumpets have only 3 valves, because that's as high as they can count. My mother bought me a used Conn Pan American cornet from a neighbor up the street for $75.00. That was big money in the 1950's. For many people, it was a week's pay, but it was a good horn. I played it for 8 years in school bands. One of the reasons America became the greatest nation in the World is because of parents who gave up things they needed to see that their children had a better life. I sold the cornet in the 80's so some other kid could have fun playing in a band. But, I kind of wish I'd kept it now. When you're young, you don't hang on to stuff, because it gets in the way. But when you get older, you wish had the stuff due to the fact that it brings back pleasant memories of a beautiful era gone by.

I remember one time Roy Rogers came to the Kansas City Museum about 2 miles from where I lived. Me and my brother (Or is it my brother and I? I wished I had stayed awake more in English class!) went up there and Roy sat in one of the windows and waved at all the people. He was more popular than the President or any politician. Of course, the fact that he looked upon us kids as the future of America, instead of just a bunch of future voters and taxpayers, didn't hurt his popularity with the younger generation. Somebody asked him for his autograph and he said it wouldn't be fair to sign for one person and not the rest. Back then, our "heroes" set a good example. Times have changed quite a bit since then. I remember pushing into the crowed to get a closer look. Some lady turned around and said to quit shoving. I felt like saying, "Look lady! He's here for us kids, not you big people!" It's awful hard for a youngin' to see somebody if a big old adult is in his way.

My political experience includes being President of my Sixth Grade class. Being a "Safety" (a young version of a School Crossing Guard) gave me my start in Law Enforcement. Although it was a great honor to be chosen a Safety, it was a lonely job. I had to leave for school 20 minutes earlier than usual and couldn't go home until all the kids had crossed the intersection. This meant that I never got to walk to school or home with my brother and friends. It was a lonely walk. Thus, at an early age, I understood that it can be lonely at the top. I remember that I did not miss one day of school in the 6th Grade.

Mr. Hankins was once again our band instructor for that year. I think this was the first year we actually had a school band/orchestra as such. I remember one time when the Principal of James, I believe her name was Mrs. Schaeffer, personally drove me to Whittier Elementary, (another Northeast area grade school) where our band played for the kids over there. It was quite an honor for me. But to this day, it has never given me a swelled head.

We once went on a field trip to the Nelson Art Gallery. It was a big thrill for us kids to get into that big orange pumpkin with black stripes called a "school bus". I know that people think of them as yellow, but they're really orange. At least the ones we had were. We even went to the Kansas City Municipal Auditorium to hear the K. C. Symphony Orchestra. Hey! We Kansas Citians have culture, too. We're not the cowtown bums people think we are. They ended by playing "The Stars and Stripes Forever". There was a time when children got a first-hand experience at exploring their World. Nowadays, the only exploring they do is on a computer.

One time at Recess, while playing softball, I slipped heading for third base and broke my right big toe. My mother took me to the doctor and he taped the toe to the one next to it because a cast would have been impractical. That same evening, I played in the orchestra at a school concert. By the way, my toe healed completely and I didn't miss a day of school because of it.

I remember that at Christmas, we all chipped in our pennies and we made up a Christmas stocking for a Veteran in the hospital. It included such things as a pack of cigarettes (which we wouldn't do now days), a pack of playhing cards, chewing gum, candy, pen and paper, etc. I think we made a Christmas card and the whole class signed it. When I was going to school, we were taught how to create and make thinks instead of buying store bought items. They don't do things like that for Veterans any more.

One sad experience I had in the 6th Grade was that they weren't going to have a Halloween Carnival that year. On Halloween night, the whole school was turned into a carnival with all the classrooms on the 1st floor having something to do like games to play. One of my favorites was the one where you handed them a ticket (you could purchase all the tickets you wanted) and go fishing for a prize. The teacher whose Room it was, would put your hook on a certain prize depending on if you were a boy or girl and then you'd just reel it in. You could also go to the cafeteria and get something good to eat. Instead of the Carnival, we just had a special parade in the Gym where the kids could show off their Trick or Treat costumes.

Holidays like Thanksgiving and especially Christmas, were always fun at Grade School. Every Room had a tree and on the day before the start of Christmas vacation, we'd exchange gifts and cards. I remember my teacher asking me if I wanted the Class tree, because the custodians were going to dispose of them. My bother brought one and I brought two home. I guess it looked kind of strange to see two kids dragging 3 six-foot trees down the street. Look! When the tree is taller than you are, all you can do is drag it down the street! We kept one for our tree and sold two. My brother sold his for a dollar. I don't know why, maybe it was a case of one-upmanship at an early age, but I sold mine for a dollar and a nickel. The neighbor a few houses down bought it. He got a kick out of the fact I charged an extra nickel. Later on we would buy and I would live in his house for a while. That's where I perfected my spoof of the Martial Arts known as "Lung Fu" which you can read about by clicking another of my web links. My 6th Grade teacher's name was Mrs. Blakesley and we were in Room 16.

We had a nice gym with basketball hoops and gym rings. We also had ropes and wooden poles which we climbed up on. This was part of the physical conditioning the children were expected to have. We had a female Physical Education instructor who taught each class in turn. I still remember her wearing a sweat shirt, with a whistle around her neck, holding a basketball. Nowadays, the kids just sit around school staring at computer screens. No wonder they're out of condition and overweight. Getting back to rope climbing, it was somewhat embarrassing for the girls who always wore dresses. The higher they went, the more that showed. That's why the teacher always kept the boys sitting back, so they couldn't sneak a peak at something they shouldn't. Well, would you want to have to teach a class of pint-sized perverts?!

I have a card, which is pictured below. It was given out by the KCMO Public Schools for those who passed Physical Development tests. I can't remember what you had to do to pass. I think you had to run a 50-yard dash and do situps, pushups and chinups, etc. The only way I could run a 50-yard dash today would be if somebody was holding a cup of coffee and a doughnut at the other end. The card is signed by Mrs. Mary Lou O'Donnell, who I believe was our Physical Education coach at James School.

We had a Wood Shop in which we made things like jewelry boxes. We also worked with clay and fingerpaints and water colors. My teachers always stressed that we should be creative. Creativity expands the mind and enhances Common Sense. My parents and teachers would give me some crayons or a bunch of building bocks or "Tinker Toys" and tell me to do something with them. One of the most sought after play kits during Recess were those famous "Lincoln Logs". They don't do that too much in school anymore. The kids are not being taught to be creative and independent. They are being taught to follow the Party line so that they will become slaves in the World when they grow up.

One thing I remember was that whenever there was a school function, such as a student play, which usually took place on Friday nights, the parents would always show up. My father and the rest of the fathers, even though they had worked hard all day, always showed up with our mothers to support the kids. These days, kids are lucky to even have a father. Even at that, the guy might not show up. Parents and teachers always supported us kids to the limit. You'd be hard-pressed to find any graduate of James Elementary during my era, who had turned bad. Our upbringing and education was very solid.

Lunch time was the next best thing to Recess. Those who opted, could go to the cafeteria for a nice hot meal. The teachers and cafeteria workers always stressed nutrition for growing bodies. My mother was born a country girl; therefore, we were raised on beans and cornbread and biscuits and gravy, which me and my brother really like. I don't recall which grade I was in, but all the school kids had to turn in a report of what they had for breakfast, so the school nutritionist could see if we were getting proper nourishment at home. She saw that the twins, that's what everybody called us, had put down biscuits and gravy. All the other kids put down stuff like bacon and eggs, cereal, toast and juice, etc. She thought we were making it up and called our mother. My mother had to explain that we weren't making anything up. The nutritionist didn't think that biscuits and gravy were a proper breakfast for growing kids. Let me tell you something. The people who started and built America were plain, simple folk who were raised on beans and cornbread and biscuits and gravy. My mother did not want me and my brother to grow up to be like politicians who are two-biscuits-short-of-a-full-breakfast. This reminds me of a story in the Bible where Daniel refused to eat the King's meat and chose to eat plain food instead.

A real treat was that for a two-week period, the 6th Graders got to work in the cafeteria, such as washing dishes and cleaning tables. We not only learned responsibility, but we got free meals. Those of us who brought our lunches either ate in one of the classrooms or sometimes the gym. One time I was spinning my orange on the floor. Mrs. Camden, who was my brother's 6th Grade teacher, thought it improper to entertain my classmates by spinning an orange on the floor, so she made me eat alone. I usually ate lunches I brought to school in the famous brown sacks those of my generation are all too familiar with. A hot lunch was a nice treat, but I preferred those brown sack goodies. I think it's because mothers always packed a lot of love with those lunches. I can't explain it, but a sandwich made with a mother's love, tastes a whole lot better than anything you can get in a cafeteria.

We never had any big-time celebrities as such graduate from James that I knew of. But, we did have me and my brother, of course. Then, there was Jackie Land, whose father owned Land Hardware across from Budd Park, which I guess makes her an NE celebrity. She went on to become a Cheerleader at Thou Dear. There was Carl Cleland, who was Sgt-at-Arms for his NE Senior Class along with Bill Gulledge who was co-President along with Jackie Land. There was Steve Jackson, who I believe played drums for an area combo band. I think it was called "Bob Fisher's Friends", but I'm not sure. There was Sally Ambro. I was in the same 6th Grade class as her sister, Linda. They both lived down the next block from me. Sally got her a Ford Mustang and from that time on, we called her "Mustang Sally". Later on, a song came out on the radio about a Mustang Sally, but the Northeast area had the original.

Just before we graduated from the 6th Grade, we were taken to Northeast Junior High where we met up with 6th Graders from other elementary schools. The purpose was to let us see our new school home we would be going to after Summer vacation. One of the highlights was that I got to carry the sign that said, "James", in reference to our school. It was named after J. Crawford James, a former member of the Kansas City, Missouri Board of Education. You're right, I did have to put up with those Jesses James jokes! I assure you that neither me, nor any of my classmates ever robbed a train while in school. The principal and teachers frowned upon such activities.

One disappointment that I did have while attending James was that, except for Kindergarten, my brother and I were always put in different classes. 'Relatives, especially twins, were not put together for some idiot reason. I think brothers and sisters should be in the same class together, if possible. They can help each other with homework, play together at Recess and eat lunch together.