Memoir Monday, May 30, 1962

The last day before graduation and so the last day of my high school era that I will feature in the blog here. Time to move on. There were four difficult years ahead which at the time I did not foresee.

May 30, 1962

Today was a nice day, warm but a little windy. I got up and fed the monsters and Mom baked biscuits for breakfast. I loaded four bales of hay --boy were they heavy-and Dad drove out to the pasture with Charlie Mike and me for the first time in over a week. The herd was up by “Old Bill’s” campground. We fed the monsters and came home. Mom was doing the washing so I baked some cookies for lunch, fed the boys, etc. I ironed my graduation dress and my ‘umbrella dress’ for tomorrow. I rested and wrote four letters in the afternoon. When I rode Annie out the critters were down at the south end of Tavasci’s so I didn’t have to go fetch them.  I took a bath and dressed up so Dad could take some pictures of me. I sure hope they come out. He took six  with my camera and four with the Rollieflex. I hope I looked glamorous! Anyway Dad said my hair was real nice and Mom said I looked nice too. I held one of my pretty pink roses. Well, supper is now over and I guess I am as ready as I’m going to be for tomorrow.  At least I’ll have  all afternoon to get ready; I will rest and practice my speech and stuff I guess. Now for my beauty sleep. I’m anxious and excited and scared and happy and nervous and scared!

Since the Monday Holiday thing did not take effect until 1971, Memorial Day was still on May 30 at this time so it was  a holiday with no school. Thus it was an at home day with some chores and some looking ahead--with a level of anxiety!

Either Dad had been sick or on a trip, it appears. At any rate he drove out to the pasture with Charlie Mike and me that morning. "Old Bill" was Bill Nelson who camped in a shady grove just at the SE corner of a large part of Tavasci's dairy for awhile as he was homeless. He was a pretty good western artist and hocked a couple of paintings to Dad for a loan to help get back on his feet. By this time he had reclaimed them and moved on but we still referred to that spot  as his camp. The mules were either just on our side of the fence or maybe across. The cattle guard on the road was pretty filled in and they could walk it. We had a gate on it for a bit. 

Chores went on as always but I had more free time than often and used it to get ready for the last day.  My "umbrella dress" was new, a gift from Grandma Witt, in a light sort of voile fabric and the skirt had a print of umbrellas--or actually frilly parasols. Of course  my graduation dress was also hand made and I was very pleased with it although by today's standards it was very childish and would draw scorn and laughs. First communion maybe--at age 12??

Although I often felt they did not feel much positive about me, my parents did seem to be glad and proud that I was to be valedictorian and was getting some recognition in the local community for that fact. We were not taking birthday or Christmas photos by this point but Dad did get some of me dressed up for the Big Event. An older couple had come by and given me a bouquet of lovely roses from their garden the day before and I held one for a couple of the photos. I have no idea what happened to the negatives of the photos Dad took as all the ones I have now were from my little Kodak snapshot camera.

Yes, I was still quite timid and the idea of speaking before a big (to me) crowd was very intimidating. I knew I would probably talk too fast and perhaps even stumble and stammer. I guess I did not do badly when it finally came about. I had my 'visit from grandma' as we girls called our period that day and took some stronger pain pills left over from some dental work so I was about doped to the eyeballs during the ceremony. It did help to suppress my nerves!

This whole time seems so remote and unreal to me now. It almost seems like something I read or saw in a movie or TV show decades ago. Well, it is sixty years as of tomorrow so small wonder it feels very distant and almost fantasy. Now to the photo file and a small brag about  this distant person who may have been me in a prior life!! She appears in the two dresses I mentioned and the formal cap and gown--the only time I ever wore such since I did not go through either ceremony at NAU--and no regrets there!!

The first is on the steps on the art building. My friend Maureen took it and I took one of her there too. Next me in the white dress. It was sweet and girlish--perhaps very right for me as some sexy formal would have felt awkward to the cowboy girl I already was becoming. And last, the cap and gown--a requirement for the event. Graduation--commencement but also an end, a very final and slam-the-cell-door sort of end in some ways. That will come the next so many Mondays...