4/7/15

AtoZ Letter F~ First Graders Fated Attraction

In Letter E's post, Elementary Education, I shared my very vivid memories of starting First Grade in East Texas and the complete lack of them when we moved to West Texas. Had it not been for my mother's photos taken during the 1950's, I would not have known moving from West to East and visa versa, was a pattern of the early years of my parents marriage.  A pattern that repeated itself many times over the years from that 1954 First Grade move to the 1964 Twelfth Grade move that sets up this story of an Incredible Connection/Fated Attraction discovered 50 years later.

It is a 'Time Travel Puzzle', so stay with me as I put the pieces together as I discovered them.

Fast forward from 1954, 1st grade West Texas to 1964-65, 12th grade West Texas and my graduating class.  At least 12 of the 1st grade classmates in Mrs. Watson's class were in my graduating class, and while I had moved back and away three or four times, they stayed together.  From one move to the next, they didn't remember me nor I them. 

Over the years of Class Reunions and living in our hometown,  I got to know my classmates mostly through my marriage to one of the First Grade Twelve.
Fast Forward to 2014 and planning for the 50th Class Reunion. My job was to put together a Website of Memories, so  I began going through our (his and mine) scrapbooks, photo collections and boxes of memorabilia our 'Saver Mothers' had given us years before.

~From my Senior Year Scrapbook:  Senior Picture and Graduation Program
From my mother's memorbilia box:  West Texas First Grade Report Card-Teacher Mrs. Watson and East Texas First Grade School Picture.
~From his Senior Year Scrapbook:  Senior Picture
From his mother's memorabilia box:  First Grade Class Photo-Teacher Mrs. Watson.

Here's what I discovered when I put our 1st and 12th Grade memorabilia together.
I wish, I wish, I could remember the 4th and 5th Six Weeks of the First Grade!
All I can say is, 'It is First Grade Fate'...Oh, and I believe in Kismet!

16 comments:

  1. Aww - that is great :) Kismet all the way!
    Tasha
    Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)

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  2. It's cool that you have those connections and the memorabilia to reminisce by. I moved so extensively that anyone from elementary days save maybe one person are now lost to me. I'd be very interested to know what happened to some of them. There is a Facebook page dedicated to my graduating class as well as the high school itself so I still keep up with some of these, but I rarely see any of them.

    Arlee Bird
    A to Z Challenge Co-host
    Tossing It Out

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    1. It is one of the disadvantages of being a kid on the move....the loss of people. However, you are who you are and experiences gained in being a kid on the move can be looked back on as a positive aspect, too. It is amazing how many re-connections can be made on Facebook. I belong to a Facebook group that is open to ALL Exes of the High School from which I graduated, my son graduated and I taught at for 18 years.

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  3. I ran across a photo of my kindergarten graduation and was surprised at how many in that class also graduated from high school with me.

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    1. Many of our high school graduating class started school and graduated together. They are still a very close group. At our 50th Reunion they had a great time sharing stories about each other, their parents and teachers. Most of their parents were friends, too. It was great fun.

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  4. Hi Sue - I've kept up with some of my friends from school - sadly my longest friend died in her 50s ... but these things happen - I've kept up with someone from each sort of group of friends .. working, flat share etc .. I just didn't marry one!

    Lovely photos .. cheers Hilary

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    1. I have lost some dear, lifelong friends, too. Things do happen, as you said...and we do go on and treasure the times we shared with them. One thing about marrying a high school sweetheart is you have lots of friends, relatives and hometown things in common.

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  5. your record keeping and tracking is Fantastic! Quite a story and web of miles and years. Very kismet indeed.

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    1. The record keeping is a side effect of 'OverDoSueness'...LOL! This was such a rare and unexpected discovery, that I had to get it recorded for posterity...who would have believed it otherwise? I love when I can claim a Kismet event.

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  6. Wow! How cool to have all of these things, and that it worked out the way that it did. You have done a GREAT job putting this all together, and you are both so beautiful/handsome! Lisa, co-host AtoZ 2015, @ http://www.lisabuiecollard.com

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    1. Thanks Lisa...sometimes things just work out in a way one least expects, and when it does it is note worthy...or in this instance Letter F Postworthy!

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  7. F for Fantastic. Loved it! The kind of things that you wouldn't want to make up for a novel make the best real life stories. Alana - Ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks Alana....I was truly surprised by this discovery...as was my husband and everyone of the first graders in our graduating class. It's the stuff of good fiction for sure.

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  8. I was also a on the move kid. There are a few from elementary that I would love to connect with/find out about.

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  9. That's amazing you still have all that stuff from school. I have nothing from school - not even my high school annuals. Very few of my high school friends are still living, mostly due to accidents and the Vietnam war.

    I enjoyed reading your post.

    Sunni
    http://sunni-survivinglife.blogspot.com/

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