Memories and "Correctness"

   Writing yesterday about "old school' brought back many memories of my days sitting at those desks in public and private school. I can still remember things from grammar school, but mostly my High School days at McCallie.

   From the vantage point of time, I can look back and feel extremely blessed by being able to spend 5 years at McCallie. Not only did I receive a great educational foundation for college and beyond, but this was presented with a Biblical foundation. 

   I know it was a different time back then, and some things that were done would be looked down on today in the name of student self esteem or political correctness. One thing especially comes to mind:

   Everybody was known for administrative purposes by their last name. So, for the my first years at McCallie, I was always just listed as "Bowman". When my brother came into the 7th grade, there were two Bowmans and I had to have an initial behind that moniker. I became Bowman, D, and he was Bowman, S.

   In my senior year, my science course was Physics, taught by Mr. Wallace W. Purdy. Now I had heard for years about his classes and the things that went on in there, but then I got it firsthand.

   The head cheerleader (now this was and still is a boy's school), was in my class. One day Mr. Purdy asked him to come up and lead the class in a cheer. He wanted us to remember about isotopes, and I remember to this day the definition he taught us through the chanting of a cheer over and over again, led by Jim Plyler:

      "Same atomic number but different atomic weight, Hey"

      "Same atomic number but different atomic weight, Hey"

      "Same atomic number but different atomic weight, Hey"

   We stood and cheered lustily, stomping the floor in time to the words, but I remember that definition. With the wooden floors in that old building, I never thought about the class below us and what they must have thought. That was just Mr. Purdy.

   This same Jim Plyler was the only basketball player I knew that could form bubbles in his mouth and blow them out as he dribbled down the court. He was also my company commander, a versatile student in many ways.

   There would be shock in the school systems today over this next "Purdy System". It was a rating system of all the boys in his Physics class, changed every two weeks according to the grading period, and posted on the board for all to see. There was no doubt where you stood academically in that class, the chalk board did not lie.

   In our annual that year, there was a rendition of that system.

   If you look down the list, you will not find me at the top, or the bottom for that matter. No. 13 out of 22 was D'man. Mr. Purdy had taken my name, Bowman, D and made Dmanbow out of it, then further shortened it to D'man, the name he used for me all year long.

   Maybe it was not "correct", but it was a pretty good motivational tool. You did not want to get your alias over in the right hand column, and surely not down toward the end of that list. Everyone would know...

   Memories and more memories, and most of them good.

   I was fortunate and blessed to be there and live in that atmosphere.