Saturday, June 20, 2009

Phys Ed, Required Class in College

When I attended K-State, we were required to take four semesters of Phys Ed. It was always interesting to try to get clear across campus to the dorm in time for lunch. My phys ed classes always seemed to be at 11 a.m.

I remember one semester I took Tap Dance/Tennis. We had nine weeks of dance and nine weeks of tennis. I can still do a "time step" and a "step-ball-change." I might have to think really hard to do it. I can also make a train sound with taps. I think perhaps I did better at the tap dance than I did at tennis. I was never good at it and played just a few times with my kids when they were in their early teens.

Another semester I had field hockey and something else. The memorable thing about the field hockey class is that I hit the tallest/largest girl in the class and knocked her cold. Of course, she was not at all athletic nor competitive. I felt really bad about it. She was ok - but I still felt bad.

The other class I remember is swimming class. Walking across campus with wet hair in December was not the thing to do. Mom and Bill thought it would be a very good idea if I took a semester of swimming. I wasn't too excited about it because I was afraid of water - courtesy of one of my classmates walking into Cedar Bluff Dam carrying me - walked in over our heads! I'm still angry at him about that!

Anyway, Mom and Bill prevailed and I enrolled in beginning swimming. I can't remember whether we met two or three times a week for 16 weeks. I did learn to do the back stroke and also was learning the side stroke at the end of the class. We were required to jump in the deep end and swim to the shallow end to pass the class. This was difficult for me to even think about! However, on the last day I jumped in the deepend and did the crawl to the shallow end - without taking a breath or opening my eyes! I never did get so I could do the crawl and breathe. I did, however, get a passing grade! Hooray!!

I have no recollection of the other phys ed class I took. I did take the four semesters of Phys Ed, however.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Social Life at K-State

There were about a dozen girls living on 3rd floor at Northwest Hall who did things together. Some of us walked to class together. We ate meals together at the dorm. We hung out in each other's rooms, went to church together, had picnics in the fall and spring, and studied together. It was a diverse group from little towns and big cities across Kansas. This group included the five of us from Ness County.

There were several guys I dated: one was 6'4" and a great dancer. I don't remember where I met him. He came to Ness for New Year's Eve in 1953. I dated a blond-haired senior for a short while. I thought the world would end when he stood me up for a date to the dance when Ralph Flanagan and his orchestra were playing. He explained why later - and a 17 year old freshman really had no business dating a 21 year old senior because there was too much difference in experience. He was ready for a relationship for which I was too immature.

Second semester I dated one of Northwest Hall's houseboys. He was a nice guy from Pratt, Kansas.

I usually had a crush on someone - a 6'8" sophomore basketball player, a short compact gymnast who was one of our houseboys. I just had crushes and never dated these guys.

There were "hour dances" exchanged between our dorm and the guys at West Stadium; street dances; homecoming parades and pep rallies all held in downtown Aggieville.

I never understood why the Homecoming games were always scheduled with either Oklahoma or Nebraska - the powerhouse teams in the Big 7 (This was way before the Big 12!) K-State always lost those games.

At the beginning of the school year we could buy an activity ticket that got us in to the football and basketball games.

During my first year at K-State, I attended the Chi Omega Hay Hop - the hall was decorated with bales of hay. This nearly killed this asthmatic! I was invited because my roomie was a Chi O pledge.

Matt Betton and his orchestra often played on campus. This was a local band and we were always glad to see this group on the bandstand.

During the first two years when I was a full-time student, I danced to the Sauter-Finnegan orchestra and Woody Herman and the Third Herd (for those of you who don't know, Woody's first orchestra was called the Thundering Herd back in the late 30s and 40s.)

Jose Greco and his Spanish dancers performed on campus as did Agnes Moorhead in her one woman show (later she would play Endora on "Bewitched.") She was an elegant lady with red hair who appeared on stage in a lovely mauve long dress - very striking-looking. I also saw "Caine Mutiny Courtmartial" with John Hodiak, Lloyd Nolan and Henry Fonda. Marge and Gower Champion appeared there with a musical. She was quoted as making a catty remark about "hicks from the stick" and I guess that is probably what the folks in Hollywood thought of Midwesterners and maybe they still feel that way. Needless to say, she was never one of my favorites after that.

My Mom encouraged me to attend these concerts and shows "because you may never have another chance."

As with all experiences, those I had at K-State are part of why I am the person I am. I was blessed with good friends who were in my life for a season.