"And the Class of ’57 had their dreams."
From the 9th grade, the Class of ’57 wanted to be different. They were already thinking about their SENIOR TRIP. Every class went to Florida but they wanted to go Washington, D.C. "You’ve got to raise the money", they were told so the fund raising campaigns began. They sold coat hangers, flavoring, salve, Christmas trees and just about anything else they could sell. They picked cotton and pulled peanuts. They put on class plays in their sophomore, junior and senior years. They ran the concession stand at the basketball games. Still… they needed more money making projects.
And then there were the piglets…
Mr. Fred Benjamin gave the class two female piglets to raise with the provision that they had to pay for the pigs only if they didn’t get to Washington. Now Juniors, the Class of ’57 took the challenge. A pen was set up behind the school gym. Class members took turns carrying the lunchroom food garbage ( technically called "slop") to the piglets. On the weekends, Sanford Johnson, Barbara Johnson and Trudys Curlee were the lucky ones to feed. The only major problem occurred when the pigs escaped one night and had to be chased all over before they were finally brought back to their homes. The piglets thrived and soon were full grown PIGS. One cold day the class met at Jesse Rinehart’s to "cash in" the pigs, so to speak. They picked the fattest one and lo! and behold, to the surprise and horror of everyone, the sow wasn’t just fat, she was pregnant! (Remember the "escape" previously mentioned.) But business is business and the dressed sow was sent to the Junior-Senior Prom for the banquet table. Chances were sold on the other sow.
"THE CLASS OF ’57 HAD THEIR DREAMS…"
And THIS Class of ’57 lived their dream! After graduation, the 11 members of the class along with Ms. Jackie (Crane) Gibbons and Principal Marshall Lauderdale went to WASHINGTON, D.C.
THE MEMBERS OF THE CLASS OF 1957
Marion Perry, Gene Calvary, Sanford Johnson, Wayne Nash, Charlene (Palmer) Pounds, Bernice (Hall) McCalla, Peggy (Gallahar) Brawner, Barbara (Jonhson) Ward, Sarah (Bullard) Kakurus, Ruthie (McLemore) Miller, and Trudys (Curlee) Tuckier.
Submitted by Trudys Curlee Tuckier.