1959, MAY

I have set the timeline for these High School categories based on the school year calendar…September to September. However, this senior year actually started at the end of our Junior year in May 1959. So, I digress three months.

Because of upcoming senior activities that needed to be organized and dates set, we held our senior class officer`s election in May. Much to my surprise, I was nominated and elected to serve as our senior class president!

The other class officers and myself met with the school principal that same week. We were informed that we would not be able to have a senior class trip this year because the expense was just getting to be too much for some families to afford. The shocking news was mind numbing! We didn`t want to be the first class to not have the experience of a class trip.

We had a meeting with our new class sponsor and offered him several options for us to raise money and subsidize the expense. He supported our effort and desire and we had another meeting with our principal. After presenting our plans, he gave us an extension until the start of school in September. We got busy!

We had class meetings before school was out for the summer and set up committees and organized volunteer workers to start fund raising projects and seek business and community support. It seemed as though the whole town was behind us. We had businesses donating space and supplies for car washes, storage buildings for paper and scrap drives and spaces to hold rummage sales. We sponsored a street dance downtown in the middle of the main intersection in town. The response from the Pendleton community was awesome!

1959, SEPTEMBER

Meanwhile, back at home, the battle with King Beau and Tippy rages on. I think we all agreed that the daily job of trying to keep them separated was taking its toll on us all. Mother was the first to suggest that it would be easier to find a suitable home for King than it would be for Tippy.

With school and my schedule, many nights I wouldn`t get home till dark and it was putting more stress on Mother and Dad handling the dogs. Mother found a nice family with kids that lived on a farm south of Indianapolis. They agreed that King Beau would be with the family indoors or out and would probably sleep in bed with the boys. That did it and King was off on a new adventure getting all of the attention!

Dad was putting the finishing touches on the pond and He and Mother found a female Border Collie at Tippy`s breeder`s kennel and named her Tina. She and Tippy got along great even though they were opposites personality wise.

 

Tina was calm and liked to be petted and follow us around. Tippy had his own routine and was always on the go.

Tippy liked the water more than Tina and would go for a swim every so often.

 

This fall, the Pendleton Welcome Wagon Association was sponsoring an Historic Home Tour of Pendleton area homes and wanted Mother to include our Barn House in the tour  because it was so unique. Since things were setteling down and we did just paint the house and finish the pond, Mother gave in to their request.

What a hectic day! I was in charge of traffic control and parking. I routed the cars around the drive and back up to the top of the hill so that they would have access to the drive out. At several points the cars were lined up all the way around the circle. I had them leave their keys in the car so that I could move them on around the drive to make room for others coming in.

Mother enjoyed being the tour guide and took pride in describing  Her`s and Dad`s accomplishments! As you can see, Cookie, our toy fox terrier was still hanging around.

Grandma and Grandpa Barrett were still harvesting, canning and freezing produce from their garden. With the pond enlarged and dug out deeper, there was plenty of water for them to use to irrigate the garden during dry spells. That process greatly increased their yield this year and the highway vegetable stand did a booming business!

1959, OCTOBER

Publishing the Pendleton High School yearbook, The Papyrus, was one of the main responsibilities of the senior class. Even with all of the fundraising projects being scheduled for our class trip, we all found time to contribute to the success of the Papyrus.

Carole and I both served on the advertising committee staff and were included in some of the advertising copy.

Carole was always a great model!

I just had a great car!

Being seniors, we were provided with a list of our high school achievements and activities alongside of our photo in the Papyrus!

Carole Laws is the middle of the bottom row.

Skip Wolff 3rd row on right.

Carole was still active in her fourth year of participation with the Sunshine Society which held fundraisers to donate and help the patients at Riley Hospital. They also joined with the boy`s Hi-Yi club to sponsor the winter dance which this year had the theme “Winter Fantasy”.

I continued my third year of activity with the Hi-Yi Club of Pendleton High School.

Carole was again serving as an office secretary this year as well as being a teacher`s secretary!

Her duties included running errands, answering telephone calls and helping keep the teaching staff happy by typing and serving as receptionist.

I continued to serve on the Student Council this year.

As senior class president, I had numerous meetings with our principal to coordinate school activities and fund raising projects for our class trip. I learned quickly how to jump through hoops to accomplish our goals. It was a great learning and leadership developing atmosphere.

 

Outside of class meetings, the school hallway bulletin boards were the best means of communication.

 

And of course the personalized hand painted senior cords were on display everywhere.

 

 

 

 

 

1959, NOVEMBER

Along with her busy school activities, Carole found time to accept the honor of representing our area on the Block`s High School Fashion Board in Indianapolis. The school representatives would meet at the Wm. H. Block Department Store once a month for a luncheon and to model, discuss and recommend current fashion trends of the teenage fashion scene. Their photos were displayed on the walls of Block`s Junior Fashion Department.

With basketball season underway, Carole and I were both kept busy with the team and the games. Carole was a 4th year varsity cheerleader and I was now the senior student manager.

 

The student body cheer block supporting our Fighting Irish basketball team.

We won our Pendleton Basketball Invitational and Carole celebrated the victory by helping cut down the nets!

My responsibilities as senior manager included overseeing the other student managers to ensure we had clean uniforms, towels, racks of balls for practice and warm up prior to games, fresh water bottles, clipboards and charts to track scoring and various first aid items on hand. We managers were frequently required to fill in at practice to run drills and scrimages.

I personally had to deliver the score book to the official scorer along with our lineup for the game. A lineup had to be made for the public address announcer also. The game ball had to be checked for proper air pressure and delivered to the head referee. There may have been one or two other things thatI had to keep track of before or during games.

When we had away games, obviously, we had to make certain that we had everything we may possibly need packed and loaded on the bus. After away games, we, the team and the cheerleaders always had a meal, usually a steak dinner, provided at the Post Restaurant.

Thanksgiving rolled around and this year we held a mini Wolff family dinner at The Wolff`s Den. Grandma Wolff and Dad`s brother`s family were home to celebrate.

1959, DECEMBER

Another big tree and a quiet family Christmas at home.

Dad made a 45 RPM record changer on its own amplifier to add to his audiophile collection that would play throughout the house. It`s sitting there between the doughboy end tables. I think I got a new stamp album and an electric razor.

During the  winter months, a popular activity was ice skating on the Pendleton Park pond. Metal barrels were used to burn firewood and provide a warming area for the skaters.

Meanwhile, over at the Barrett`s Roost, Mother`s sisters` families came down for Christmas dinner and gift exchange.

Left to right, Jin, Mother, Mae, (sister-in-law)Dot, Grandpa, Marg and Grandma, 22 in all!

1960, FEBRUARY

With my involvement in the variety shows and the fact that I was to be the Student Stage Manager again this year for our Senior Class Play, I joined The Masque and Gavel Club at school.

I had so much free time on my hands that I decided to join the High School Choir.

I still found time to go rabbit hunting with my 22 rifle. I would skin and freeze the rabbits meat to later boil and mix with Tippy`s & Tina`s food.

One winter day I borrowed Grandpa`s 410 shotgun to go hunting with. I kicked up several Doves and Quail with no success. Then, as I was walking through a winter wheat field, a Pheasant flew up right under my feet. The noise of the flapping wings and the sight of the big bird almost in my face, froze me for a second, but I managed to raise the gun and fire a clean shot into the bird. Luckily, it dropped him immediately, because Grandpa`s gun was a bolt action and there would not have been time for a second shot.

I proudly carried my prize home and Mother decided we would have a roast Pheasant feast this Sunday! So, I dressed the bird and put it in the refrigerator till the week-end.

Sunday dinner came and we saw all the trimmings set for the great feast. Grandma and Grandpa joined us for the hunters celebration of his first Pheasant kill. As we all dug in, Mother, Dad and I exchanged quizzical glances with expressions of disbelief as we all started to say “I thought this was supposed to be a delicacy!?”; it tastes like crap.

Grandma and Grandpa, being the only ones to have had Pheasant before, were smiling and complimenting Mother and I on having such a fine feast!

1960, MARCH

Two thirds of the way through our senior year and it has been one hectic roller coaster ride!

Grandma and Grandpa were proud of my Senior Athletic Letter for running track and managing cross country and basketball.

Basketball season was winding down and it was time for the seniors to host the annual Senior Pep Rally with a post game sock hop to follow!

Meanwhile, back at home The Neighbor From Hell was still trying to pull one off. Dad was up in the front yard planting nine weeping willow trees along the fence line to block the view into the unsightly Neighbor From Hell`s backyard. The neighbor comes over to our yard and asks Dad what he thinks he`s doing and continues to complain that the willow roots will grow into his septic lateral system and cause problems! Dad told him that he was free to dig up any roots that strayed into his property and that he should  kindly get his ass back home!

A couple weeks later, Mother and Dad come home from work and find a farm fence fastened to steel posts that are imbedded in cement and run right down the middle of our easement drive. There is just barely eight feet between that fence and the other neighbor`s fence with a drainage ditch running along the edge. With two wheels in the ditch and two wheels on the drive they managed to slowly make their way to our drive.

The next day Mother takes the deed and a recorded property surveyors plat to his lawyer. The deed grants easement rights and with the survey shows that the easement has been in that location for over twenty years and cannot be relocated without Mother and Dad`s permission!

That same week, the work crew was out removing the cemented posts and regrading the drive and putting down fresh crushed stone. Will he never learn?

At school we were preparing for the music department`s annual Variety Show. Carole performed in several musical dance numbers and I worked with the sound and lighting crew. Carole and I were involved in many activities together throughout high school, but we had never dated yet…

1960, APRIL

 

Spring starts the track and cross country season. I never could run distance so I settled on being student manager for the cross country team and running the high hurdles in track.

I am the hurdler on the right. The photographer set up the low hurdles for the photo and you can see by my leg elevation that I was mind set on high hurdles!

Class officers were finalizing the class trip projects and we were packing in preparation for our well earned April class trip to Washington D. C. and New York. We held meetings wherever and whenever we could find time. Mr. Parr was our class sponsor and great supporter of our efforts and that`s me leaning against the tree.

Plans were also being finalized for our Junior-Senior Prom which was to be held at Butler University in Indianapolis this May.

This bus photo reminds me of an incident involving Carole and I during the trip. For some reason, me being class president, the class sponsor and the tour guides thought it would be a good idea for me to help with the daily activity announcements. I would get on the busses and inform everyone of the planned tours and activities for the day. Simple enough; right? One day as I`m in the middle of making the announcements, Carole stands up in the back of the bus and yells, “Why don`t you go sit down? Nobody cares what you`ve got to say!” So I quickly wrapped up the presentation and went to my bus thinking, “You know…she`s absolutely right. That`s what I thought when the chaperones first suggested it!” Two months later we started dating!

Most of the kids were disappointed with the group picture because the Capitol Building dome was being painted and was coated with the rust color primer instead of the usual brilliant white. I thought it was neat because this only happens every fifty years or so and we have a photo that captures history with us in it!

1960, MAY

Our Prom was held on the Butler University campus in Indianapolis, Indiana. Carole went with her boyfriend and I went with my girlfriend.

The post-prom traveling breakfasts were still a great hit. Visiting with classmates and realizing that this may be one of the last times we have to share together was very nostalgic. Most of us have been together since grade school and have developed some great bonds and friendships over the years. We were still up at sunrise, not wanting the magic to end.

I managed to make the Familiar Faces section in the Pendleton Times, the local newspaper that was published once a week.

“Pippy Dene”, “Skip”, “Gene” or Marvin, I was finally ready for high school graduation!

Turning our Tassels!

Finally got that paper!

1960, JUNE

Our class went on that summer to organise the First Annual Junior Senior Bicycle Marathon Relay Race. With the cooperation of the police department, downtown merchants and the parks department,  we developed about a mile long course through the Falls Park and around downtown. The Junior and Senior classes put together coed relay teams and the first to complete 100 laps was to be the winner. The prize being, to have bragging rights for the next 12 months!

This exhilerating  journey through the school years  was full of fond memories and awesome foolhardiness. But the decades to come will far overshadow any accomplishments that were achieved during those early years!