When Grandma Was A Little Girl - #59

59-High School graduation - dance – a drive-in movie

Today most high schools have a senior graduation party or some type of event following the graduation. Back in my day (1968) they did not have things like that. However, we had a parent of one of my high school friends who owned a drive-in movie theater. He showed a double-feature movie that started at mid-night and went until 4:00a.m.

I guess I should mention here that my high school was The Tularosa Wildcats! When my older brother Douglas was in high school he was on the yearbook staff and he drew cartoons for the year book and one was of the wildcat. Our school colors were maroon and white. Our school and student body had 'plenty of school spirit!'

We had graduation on the football field. We all sat on folding chairs. The parents sat on the bleachers.Our school colors were maroon and white. The boys wore maroon gowns and the girls wore white gowns and the graduation caps matched. In my day, you had to dress in Sunday best. The boys could not wear jeans and boots or sneakers (today they call them athletic shoes). They had to wear black slacks, a white shirt and dark tie. Their hair had to be short and nicely combed. Their hair couldn’t touch their shirt color. They could not have any facial hair either. They were pretty clean cut looking. The girls had to wear a dress or nice skirt and blouse. The skirts had to come to the knee. You had to wear nylons and heels. We also looked very nice.

I don’t remember anything about the speech given. I do remember that my friend Barbara Payne was the class valedictorian and my other friend Sally Spengler was the Salutatorian. I remember going up to receive my diploma. I felt triumphant! I made it! I was done! (I was a B average student-not bad.) The time came when we were to take the tassel on our mortarboard (graduation cap) and move it from the right side over to the left side of our board. We were officially graduated! When the ceremony was over and the prayer was said (Yes! We had school prayer when I went to school!) many of the students threw their gradation caps into the air! Not me. I didn’t want to lose mine. However, I don’t have it today!




When graduation was over several of our friends went on double dates and we went to dinner and then on to the movie. I don’t remember what the movies were but I do remember we had a lot of fun laughing and having such a wonderful time! My date that night was Robert (we called him Bobby) Yerby. We grew up in the same town together and all through school. After the movie, we all went to a restaurant for breakfast and I got home at 5:00a.m. Boy did I think that was neat! My curfew was midnight, but since I had graduated I could be out late. My friends and I thought we were pretty hot stuff being graduated. We were no longer high school kids. We were out in the big, wide world! Whoopee!

I look back on that now, and having 5 of my own children graduate, we weren’t such hot stuff. We were on the threshold of young adulthood and now had to face reality, jobs, marriage, college, etc. Before graduation we were the big fish in the little sea. Now having graduated, we were back to being little fish in the big world!

Ahh, but what great high school memories, friends and nostalgia! I did not particularly enjoy high school. I was always older thinking and behaving and worked at 15 years old and up and serious about my religion. I was glad to be out of school and in the work force making my way. I did enjoy the school friends, dances, sports, but glad to be on the outside and not so interested in looking in the fence anymore. Life had a new place for me.