Van Horn and Other Friends - Sophmore Year

Tenth grade started early for me because that year I went to summer football practice.  It was three weeks of "getting in shape" and learning the plays and practice skill necessary to have a successful winning season. Which we did not.  It was terribly hot and not much fun but some how I survived and made the varsity along with two other guys.  Tim Bly and Tom Koehly.   The first game was against Chrisman and as luck would have it I picked up a fumble and ran for what I told everyone was 40 yards, but I think it was more like 10 in actuality.  However my varsity career didn't last long and eventually I was sent back to the B-Team or junior varsity.  Tim and Tom stayed put.  Coach Wally Crawford was the junior varsity coach and a good one.  He taught me a lot that year and cut me little slack.  It was a very good coaching decision and let me get a lot more playing time so as to hone what little skill I really had.  One coach told me that I had no real innate ability but I didn't mind getting knocked down.  For some reason I always felt that was great compliment.

I have no recollection of my classes that year except English with Mr. Simonie.  I don't remember much of what he taught but remember him explaining what was going on in Julius Caesar and Tale of Two Cities.  I have liked literature ever since.  Mr. Simonie was a real neat guy I thought and was the example of the type of a teacher I wanted to be after hearing a college professor tell me once that "sometimes the subject matter is the least important thing you teach in a classroom."  Mr. Simonie's teaching and my student tenure would cross several times over the next few years.

Jan Allison was my first real girl friend.  We were introduced by Fritz Siple and Connie Dewey.  Jan and I would be an on again off again item till we left for college three years later.  Our dates consisted of parties that some of the kids would have and attending the sporting events by taking the school buses that were always provided.  We would leave at half time and be the first ones on the buss and pass the time away doing what boy friend and girl friend did back then.

I did go out for the swimming team again, made it, lettered, and took 5th in the all city swim event and our relay team took 2nd.

I don't recall much else about that year except I made a bunch of new friends because the kids from around the Blue Ridge area from Pitcher School were sent to Van Horn instead of East and Northeast that year.  That included Jan and a host of others.  Many are still friends to this day.