Flying L's Class of '59

Great memories from Ginny FRYKMAN Giusti!!
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A few more memories of a childhood spent in Ft Lauderdale.

How many of us went to the Naval Air Station for school?
I attended there for some of my elementary school years and
then again for Jr High School.  I knew we had classes in old
barracks, but I don't think it ever dawned on me exactly what
that meant and I don't think I ever gave a second thought to
the name of our school.

Speaking of junior high school.  Remember "slam books?"
Favorite song, favorite color, the turned in page "for girls
only" etc.  Oh yes, then the page with a person's name at the
top so you could write:  cute, nice, sweet, luv ya..........
Guess that was a precursor to our yearbook signing parties 4
or 5 years later.

My first toilet papering was done in Ft Lauderdale but I didn't
give that activity up until I was well into my 30's or 40's
(believe it or not.)  The difference is that we bought the
toilet paper as we got older, whereas in high school I remember
raiding gas station bathrooms for the precious white stuff--
hoping that it was in a roll and not little square sheets.

How about the class dances in the gym.  My favorite committee
to sign up for was the "south wall."  I remember one year having
a jungle theme and we got dry ice to try to make it look like
splashing water and mist at the bottom of our "waterfall."  I
also remember sitting in Martiel Congelton's kitchen making
pretty nifty orchids out of crepe paper.


And then there were the bake sales outside of the high school
cafeteria.  My favorite contribution were meringues dyed blue
and white.  I also remember working as a cashier in the cafeteria
in order to get a free lunch.  The cafeteria was run by Linda
Rand's mother and I think we had great food.  Remember the hot
dogs with coleslaw on top?

How about Sterling skirts?  Straight skirts with a pleat down the
front.  I once tried to work at Sterlings and was a TOTAL failure
in sales.

Homecoming parades.  How much fun to work on a float or better
yet ride on one.  Football games every Friday night with a sock
hop afterward.  Remember the stroll?
I remember getting some girls to cover the area between the goal
posts with large sheets of paper with a Flying L paper on it so
that the football team could burst forth from the paper before
one of the games. I think Mackey Alley helped with this project,
although I wouldn't swear to it.  (Other fun guys I remember are
Dave Pender and Tom Mathis.)

Junior and senior years I remember a bunch of gals renting out
motel rooms for a week.  I could only afford to stay a night or
two, and for the life of me I can't remember what we did all day
and night.

Fond memories of going to Jerry's drive-in for french fries and
a coke in Janis Milligan's chartreuse Thunderbird.  I also
remember spending the night at Sharon Newsham's house and having
Frank Gallo and some other guy come up to the bedroom window to
talk to us through the screen.  And then there was the slumber
party on Janis Milligan's garage roof/terrace.  How about the
slumber party at Sandy Koch's when lots of girls went swimming
(perhaps in the buff, not sure of that) when a group of guys
came walking up from somewhere in the back of her house.

When I started high school the Nauti Nymphs (what a name for a
synchronized swim team) had their own practice time at the end
of the school day instead of taking gym class.   But then Mr
McCombs (do I remember his name correctly) informed us that we
weren't recognized as an official sport so we would have to
take gym during the day and swim every day after school...
which we did.  And we were pretty darn good !!  State champs
the only year there was such competition.

A bunch of us were in Girl Scouts together from Brownies
through 9th grade.  Kaki Lambert, Judy Wright, Martiel Congelton,
Linda Rand, Eleanor Wertz, Ava Ann Camp, etc.  I know 50 years
is causing me to leave some girls out.  Anyway, we went to
Nassua for Easter weekend of 9th grade.  I became fast friends
with my Girl Guide pen pal and her sister, Janet, who now lives
in Australia and who I have seen several times in the past few
years.  Most all of us are still in touch with our troop leader,
Margaret Lambert.

I remember working in the office at the high school at the switch
board during what would normally be study hall.  I think that
must have been one cut above the kids who were "hall monitors."
I also worked as the "shower girl" in junior high school.  That
is another name for the shower police who were supposed to make
sure everyone took a shower after gym class.  It was probably
pretty much a joke.  Remember embroidering our names on the back
of our blue gym suits...which stunk to high heaven by the end of
the week.  Oh good grief, another memory..........of working in
the "gym basket room" in high school passing out those stinky
baskets.

What about teachers and classes?