>>>>>>Sometimes, that can be a blessing!
>>>>
>>>>>In our case ("The Terrible Ten") it was. That was the number in my senior graduating class.
>>>>
>>>>What was the prom like? Did you go to a private school?
>>>
>>>There wasn't one. This was the mid-1960s (1965). Normally, the prom was held at the South Shore Country Club. However, the club had a "whites" only policy. Since we had a couple of black guys in the class (the first ones at the school), this infuriated us and we said, if they can't go there, we won't either, so no prom. And yes, it was a private school. When I started there in the 8th grade, it was the Harvard School for Boys. In my sophomore year, we merged with another private school and became the Harvard-St. George School. Since then, they've gone back to just Harvard School. The school's is still located at 4731 S. Ellis (just north of Hyde Park). Among its more noted alumni are Edgar Rice Burroughs and either Leopold or Loeb (I can't remember which) from the Bobby Sacks murder ("Complusion").
>>
>>I remember hearing a bit about the school when I was in Hyde Park, but I don't recall it.
>
>Not surprising. I didn't know anything about it when I was 12 either, and I lived less than 10 blocks from it. All of a sudden my parents sent me there.

That was the era when parents made decisions like that. The folks talked "amongst themselves" about private school for me. When they broached the subject to me, I guess my vehemence about not going surprised them. I enjoyed my days in public school. I can imagine, though, that when living in the city one framed those questions in somewhat different ways.


>
>>I'm sure that was a prom (or non-prom) to remember. When you think back, it's pretty incredible the kinds of ruptures we went thru at that time. I followed you by 5 years. Vietnam was more the topic of our day. I remember having a passionate discussion with adults after the Democratic National Convention of 68 in Chicago. At the time, I was visiting relatives in New Jersey. It was really a frightening experience to see militia dressed in riot gear in beloved Chicago tear gassing and beating people who were only a couple years older than I, who had, ostensibly, come in the name of peace.
>
>I remember those days well. Can even recall smelling the tear gas on folks that had been at Grant Park. Hyde Park was pretty unusual for the time. The PBS show "Making Sense of the '60's" stated that the counter-culture and the political activists of the time didn't mix. In Hyde Park they did.
>
>I used to hang around and work at a place called the Medici Coffeehouse, which was located in the back of the Green Door Bookstore on 57th St. between Blackstone and Harper. I guess I don't have to tell you my political views at the time.< s >

I wondered if your photo revealed something about your past. <g> As Winston Churchill said, as far as I can remember, he didn't respect a man under 30 who wasn't a liberal or a man over 30 who wasn't a conservative. My cousin Billy quoted that to me at our last family Christmas get together (can't imagine why, we were only discussing the last election!). I bit my tongue and didn't say to him, why Billy, you never were a liberal!

The Medici turned into a pizza parlor by the time I arrived in Hyde Park. I guess they were interested in making money by then! It was the best pizza in the neighborhood. I was there recently -- they've moved, across the street and down a couple blocks. The staff complains about the ovens not being as hot in the new location.

Things had pretty well quieted down by 74. I remember sitting in a McDonald's one day minding my own business. A socialist was running for mayor -- a black gentleman who's name I can't remember -- ended up with 2% of the vote. Anyway, one of his campus supporters was out trying stir up the vote in classic Chicago style. He was engrossed in a conversation with another gentleman, from the neighborhood. All of the promise of a socialist candidacy danced around the room. But, that fell on a deaf ear. The continual response was. "Well, what's this guy going to do for me? I mean, my brother knows the alderman, and he got a job at O'Hare. Now, this guy, he becomes mayor. Does he have any clout? Does he have any alderman in his party? Now, If I vote for him, how am I gonna get a job?" How eloquent his Friedmanesque statement of self-interest.


>
>>The thought just occured to me how television was an influence, and I think largely a positive one, in all that. We were the first generation that took our moral clues not only from our parents and community, but the values -- simplistic as they may seem today -- from the likes of Ozzie and Harriet, Dick Van Dyke, and so on.
>
>Not only that, but we got to see a real, live war on TV.

And, how differently that hit us in our living rooms. A couple Christmases ago, I ran into some friends and we talked about our experiences during that time. We were about 4 years apart -- I was in the middle. My friend Eric had declared himself a CO when it was really tough. He did a lot of work with the Friends. I also declared myself a CO, but as things were dying down. My initial application was rejected, so as a college freshman, I was 1-A. An appeal was approved, but the draft had almost no impact on my class. Still, the visions we saw seemed our destiny. Our youngest friend said that it seemed so distant -- just like another television show. Of course, our withdrawal was complete by the time he graduated from high school

>>>
>>>>>>My best lit teacher in grammar and high school was in 7th grade. She was an incredible motivator. She was big on working in groups. In one of her sections, she had us reading 19th and 20th century lit. My group got "existentialism." <g> I made it thru Camus' Plague. One of my friends had Kafka's Castle -- never did finish it, I think he got lost in the labyrinth. We each presented a book report on our assigned book. Of course, our favorite project was doing a newspaper. My team did "The Mafia Informer" and had a lot of fun with that.
>>>>
>>>>>Mine was the lit teacher, headmaster and senior advisor. We first got him for lit in my sophomore year (and had him for junior and senior years as well). The only way I can describe him is as an existential ex-Green Beret (which he was). He was the one that introduced all of this literature: Satre, Kafka, Dostoyesky (sp?), Kant, Gide, Camus, Hemingway, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, etc. In retrospect, I find it hard to believe that we read all that we did.
>>>>
>>>>And we wonder why the 60's happened???
>>>
>>>Weren't they both wonderful and horrible at the same time?< s >
>>>
>>
>>Yeah. And, I wouldn't miss a second if I had to do it over again.
>>
>
>Neither would I.
>
>>>>>>>>You know, I've heard that stream of unconsciousness of Bill Faulkner, too, so, there you go in that Southern novelist mode. <g>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Hopefully, not in "As I Lay Dying."< bg >
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Sound and Fury?
>>>>>
>>>>>Much better.:-)
>>>>
>>>>As you like it!
>>>>
>>>Don't shake that spear at me!:-)
>>
>>Oh, it's only a flesh wound %)
>>
>Shouldn't that be a # of flesh wound.:-)

Much ado about nothing %)