The Photo News

in the news November 1970

        One day my senior year of high school, I heard my name on the P/A along with three classmates – we were being summoned to the front lobby! I had no idea why – almost always if students' names were called it was not good news. But the three guys whose names were mentioned along with mine were not the kind to have done anything wrong, and so I figured I was in good company no matter what! With moderate trepidation I left the class I was in, probably with a hall pass, and went to the front lobby.

           A photographer was standing there – a professional, not someone from the school. He said the Hamburg Photo News had sent him to take each of our pictures because we had the four highest science averages in the senior class! In between sounding like a load of bull, this was kind of exciting!

          Mom kept the article from the News in her photo album all these years. Apparently Bausch and Lomb was bestowing a Science Award to the senior at our school with the highest science average. And there were three runners up – which meant that I was the senior with the fourth highest science average! From the article, the award winner was then eligible to compete for a Bausch and Lomb scholarship at the University of Rochester, New York – I don't know if our Award winner tried out for the scholarship or even where he went to college – but I do recall he was really smart!

          When my daughters were still pre-schoolers and we would get the photo albums out to show them pictures from when they were even smaller, one of the comments they made the most often was, “I always liked that dress!” In fact, we often got yelled at because the dress in a given picture was outgrown and “Hey! That was my favorite dress – why did you give it away?” so we stopped getting the albums out because the anger was not worth the stroll down memory lane. 

in the paper again November 2014

          But guess what I remember most about the one and only time my name was ever announced over the school public address system? The dress I was wearing – I always liked that dress. It was my favorite! The dress I happened to be wearing on the day that I did not know my picture was going to be taken for the town newspaper was a plaid shift with buttons down the front and ruffles with the buttons – it was pretty and comfortable.

           Last year my picture was in the AJC - Atlanta Journal Constitution publicizing a storytelling event - I guess 15 minutes of fame can repeat every 40+ years or so. Just sorry Mom missed it. I really liked that outfit too!

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