Historically Speaking: Autumn memories of growing up in Roswell

By Janice Dunnahoo

Particular to the Every day Document

I not too long ago wrote an article titled, Rising up in Roswell, summer time recollections; the seasons have modified, so guess it’s time for autumn recollections.

My recollections of autumn primarily revolve round faculty. Going again to highschool often signified the start of fall, as the primary Monday after Labor Day was the beginning of the brand new faculty yr in these days.

After all, the start of faculty began with the proverbial buying journey for the brand new faculty provides. We all the time had our listing and seemed ahead to the brand new cigar field with the brand new crayons, pencils, erasers, paint, paint rags, Large Chief tablets and so forth. In these days, these things had been bought on the native dime shops, as there have been no “massive field” shops then. Larry Knadle, who owned Knadle’s throughout the road from Kress’ and Woolworth’s 5 and dime shops, stated that each Labor Day weekend, there can be strains going out the doorways of each shops, of everybody shopping for faculty provides.

Within the older grades, issues acquired extra severe. We had a three- or two-ring binder with dividers for every class, some courses required wide-ruled pocket book paper, others required narrow-ruled. I really don’t keep in mind why although. For the scholars within the older grades, the main target was extra on what courses you had been going to take and with which buddies. The buying journeys often centered extra on the brand new faculty garments you hoped to purchase.

Again to grade faculty although, it was all the time enjoyable to attempt to get to highschool early, to play on the swings, the merry-go-round, the jungle gymnasium, kickball, tetherball, or simply to play tag, chasing one another across the grounds. In my reminiscence, the playground breaks throughout the faculty day often consisted of enjoying jacks, hopscotch, 4 sq., pink rover or no matter else our or our lecturers’ minds might provide you with for leisure. One of many massive thrills we might have was when an occasional massive airplane would fly over the varsity yard from Walker Air Base. These massive bombers would fly so low, you felt as if you could possibly attain out and contact them. They had been loud, too.

Within the classroom, our days actually consisted of — the outdated adage — studying studying, writing and arithmetic.

I keep in mind nicely the sheets of mimeographed paper the instructor would cross out, which had a faint scent of alcohol, heat off of the press. These pages often contained photos with dotted strains under every image for us to spell the phrase which described the image. Typically there can be starting or ending letters, to present us a touch, or assist us out. For arithmetic, it was the identical, there have been often little photos with one thing like sticks or apples, that we might rely, so as to add or take away, and with a line beneath to position our reply on.

We’d typically stroll or journey our bikes the quarter-mile or so to highschool, together with the remainder of the neighborhood youngsters. It appears the one time you bought to journey within the automobile was if it was raining or snowing. Even then, typically we’d nonetheless need to stroll, with galoshes and an umbrella, and an additional layer of garments.

Lunch bins in these days — the perfect I keep in mind — had been both Roy Rogers-themed, or presumably a princess or a fairy for the ladies. Typically, it was the brown paper bag, with the wax paper-wrapped sandwich and an apple or one thing inside, and a nickel for a carton of milk.

Our studying teams all the time consisted of Dick and Jane books. Dick and Jane had a canine named Spot. Studying began with sentences like “Run Spot run,” or “See Spot run.” The extra superior you bought, the extra phrases had been added. Dick would launch the balloon, and the sentence can be, “See it go!” “See it go up! “Look Jane, see it go up excessive!” My favourite occasions had been when the instructor would have us put our heads on the desk and she or he would learn to us after lunch from the Little Home sequence or the adventures of The Boxcar Youngsters.

For writing — out would come the mimeographed sheets once more, with massive dotted letters that you just needed to hint over the dotted strains a number of occasions for every letter of the alphabet, after which kind the letters all by your self.

The identical for math, for the numbers, we had mimeograph sheets, with the dotted numbers, as a substitute of letters, to hint over, to assist us learn to write our numbers. Onerous work, particularly with these massive fats pencils.

Saturday morning was “Howdy Doody” time, adopted by “The Roy Rogers Present” and cartoons. You by no means needed to sleep in on Saturday morning, since you would possibly miss your favourite reveals.

Quickly after faculty began, we might all the time sit up for our first faculty vacation, which was the honest parade day. Oh what enjoyable! In these days as I keep in mind, it appears everybody dressed of their greatest Western put on. Cowboy shirts, hats and boots had been typically the norm. The honest and carnival was like Disneyland coming to your again door, what enjoyable we had.

The subsequent factor on the listing we seemed ahead to within the fall was all the time Halloween. We’d begin speaking prematurely about what character we had been going to be for Halloween, whether or not it was a ghost, a hobo, a princess, a cowboy/cowgirl, or simply purchase a type of exhausting plastic masks with the eyes, mouth, and nostril holes reduce out and the little elastic straps that went behind your head, which by no means appear to remain on straight so that you can see or breathe, particularly at night time.

We’d begin mapping out, prematurely, which neighborhood homes we had been going to go to first for trick-or-treat, within the order of what treats got the place, from our recollections of the yr earlier than. The plastic tasting penny sweet, wrapped in twisted ends wax paper, was all the time final on our listing, however bubble gum was a giant plus. After all, in these days, all I keep in mind was paper grocery baggage to gather your goodies in. You needed to be very cautious that the highest of the bag wouldn’t tear and spill your loot at the hours of darkness of the night time, whereas your pals had been working forward to the subsequent home. Oh the dread! I feel a few of the smarter youngsters took pillowcases.

Then there was all the time the varsity Halloween carnivals, with fishing video games, cake walks, chili canine, and customarily, a cotton sweet machine, caramel apples, or my favourite: popcorn balls. It appears you could possibly all the time discover sizzling chocolate or sizzling cider someplace, too. What a thrill these evenings had been for the youngsters.

After all, for those who had been in highschool, the main target was on homecoming, bonfires, hayrides, soccer video games and adorning for homecoming parades.

Subsequent on the listing was Thanksgiving. I can nonetheless keep in mind singing at school, “Over the river and thru the woods, to grandmother’s home we go!” We’d reduce out and shade paper turkeys and Pilgrims, make Native American headbands with a feather in again, or craft turkeys out of pinecones, to brighten the household desk on Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving Day, we’d get up to the pleasant aromas of turkey and dressing already baking within the oven. Typically, buddies, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins — all the household — would come over with coated dishes so as to add to the feast. Soccer video games would play on the tv, climate and upcoming winter can be mentioned. Espresso can be brewing all day. Us youngsters had enjoyable catching up with our out-of-town cousins, and being shooed exterior to play, or typically we’d get to go to the native matinee on the Plains or Yucca theater, after we did the dishes, in fact.

Then, we might begin trying ahead to Christmas.

Janice Dunnahoo is chief archivist on the Historic Society for Southeast New Mexico Archives. She may be reached at 575-622-1176 or at jdunna@hotmail.com.