At the end of three years, I
realized I could finish up in one semester, with a double major in
P.E. and biology, if I took a correspondence course, and a full load.
Then I got to thinking, I could work a semester, then finish up in
the spring, on time. So I got a job working on a barge on the
Mississippi river, and went home to store up my stuff, and build a
shed to store my car in. By the time I had finished that, I found out
I would be drafted immediately if I dropped out of school, and soon
be in Viet Nam. So, I gave up my job and went back to school, just
put Viet Nam off until I had finished my degree. I took astronomy, of
all things, by correspondence, and I don't remember looking at a
single star while doing that. Also, I got a major in biology without
ever having taken a single chemistry class. Things were different
then. Chemistry was not such a major part of biology studies in 1965.
I chose Dumas, over in the delta,
home of the Ding Dong Daddy, to do my student teaching. Aunt Pearl
lived there, but I didn't want to be so forward as to try and impose
myself on her, so I got an attic room in a big house 12 miles away.
As soon as she found out I was in Dumas, she insisted I move in with
her, so I did. At least, this way, it was her idea, not mine.
It was deer season. I had my 30-30
in my car, so I bought a hunting license.and drove over and parked
on the levee, and went down and hunted awhile along the river. On the
way out, just before dark, from down in the woods I could see my car
up on the levee, and a game warden was parked 30 feet away. I sat
down and tried to figure out if I was illegal in any way. No way. I
was covered. So I walked up to my car and put my gun away. Then the
warden got out. Wanted to see my license. I showed it. Then he
smiled and said, "Now, show me your county license." My
heart sank. I had never heard of a county license. Turned out, Desha
was the only county in Arkansas that required one. He stuck me, and I
had to pay a $16 fine. He thought he was giving me a real break, but
that amount, at that time in my life, might as well have been $500.
Some of the local young merchants
and bankers heard I was a good basketball player, and asked me if
wanted to play that night on their independent team against Gould, so
I said yes. As we were getting ready in the dressing room, I started
noticing that every one of these guys, early 30's, had a roll of fat
around the middle. I couldn't believe it. "How could they let
themselves get like that?" Little did I know that I, then 21,
would be joining their ranks in about 10 years. Well, all these guys,
and the other team, were slow, so I got to be the star that night,
scoring 35 points. I had a downer when I came out to my car, though.
Someone had stolen my license plate.
That fall, 1965, was the year
Dumas integrated. In all my life, I had never gone to school with a
black person, or played against one in sports. We had only one black
man in Wing, Henry. He was serving a life sentence, and the local
politician had got him out to work for him. I walked by his house to
go to the store, and we became pretty good friends. He was, actually,
the only black person I had ever known when I went to Dumas.
At Dumas, a couple of black guys
came out for football, but the other players made it hard on them.
There was a really good basketball player that transferred over from
the black school, but the white basketball coach just refused to let
him play. I heard he had averaged 30 points per game the year before.
The coach got away with it that year, but he soon had to retire.
Things were changing.
Toward the end of my student
teaching, I drove down to the Delta Dip, the local hamburger hotspot
one night. And my life changed forever. Little did I know, as I drove
to the Delta dip that night, that the love of my life awaited me
there. And I had forgotten to bring my great white Stallion.
Please note: This story is continued on
post 44, "Early and Late in 1966," posted 2 months ago. I
will continue with my Fayetteville story, next post. Sorry about the
inconvenience. I just don't always write in order! Thanks for your
time, and your attention. I will be away from my computer about a
week. Next post will be around the 14th.
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