1965-66 – Senior Year – Part 1 – Memoir Continued

Driving to School: Teddy started high school in ‘65. So, Dad bought a ‘58 brown, two-door Ford Fairlane for me to drive Guy, Teddy, and I back and forth to school. It was not in good shape, and the transmission gave out before my graduation. He had also picked up a 9 passenger ‘58 Mercury wagon, pink and white. It was the only car I ever drove with a push-button transmission. I learned to drive in Dad’s ‘55 Fleetwood Cadillac, which was 18” longer than the station wagon; yes, a parking nightmare for any new driver.

Aside from riding to school and home, Teddy didn’t associate with either Guy or me. He had his own little clique of friends, who considered themselves ‘Artistes’, under the tutelage of Fred Margolas. Teddy was starting to do portraits and caricatures and getting pretty good at it. He later graduated from CIA, the Cleveland Institute of Art with a BFA. He then went on to become a high school art teacher… for a while… but I digress.

First period Orchestra rehearsal, violin section seating; Peggy and Ellen sat 1st and 2nd; I sat 3rd. Guy had quit and gotten into the senior choir instead, even though he was only a junior at the time.

The last period of the day was the senior choir practice. so a very long day for me. Our school had a split schedule. First period was before homeroom, which was the start for the second shift of students. Most of us who started with first period went home at 3 pm, and those who started with homeroom went home at 4 pm. Since I was in Orchestra and the Senior Choir, I had to be there early and went home late. And with the operetta rehearsals in the spring, I sometimes didn’t get home before 8:30 or 10 in the evening. The rehersals started after suppertime, 6:30 or so.

Guy was often out performing as part of his friend’s band, which broke up shortly after school started. That year he and I and a couple of our friends formed our own band to compete in the school-sponsored ‘Talent Show’, roughly midway through the school year (we were almost thrown out for being too loud). Since Guy was the ‘experienced’ bandman, he was our ‘frontman’. So, we called ourselves Guy’s Guys… I played bass and sang backup for Guy, who also played lead and rhythm guitar. My friend Paul V. played drums and Johnny F., who we knew from Orchestra, played baritone sax; he was an excellent saxman, looked a bit like Buddy Holly. We were easily the best in the show. That was the very beginning of my interest in being in a small rock band. Later that year and the next, we took the band on the road with a Red Cross volunteer group called ‘Volunteens’, headed by the mother of Guy’s girlfriend at the time, Judy P. We played in Senior Centers, Rest Homes, hospital wards, the VA, etc. At some point, we picked up another guitarist to play rhythm so Guy could concentrate on his lead work. I don’t remember his name. The band only lasted a couple of years.

To be Continued

–LE