Early Girl Friends

In my latest post in regards to my starting to school at age five, and the mention of a couple of girl friends in the photo, one of my followers sent an e-mail saying, “Boy, you started young, didn’t you?”

In case anyone else wonder about my early girl friends, I’m posting the same explanation I sent to him:

As for school day girl friends. Helen, a banker’s daughter, lived directly across the street from me when we started first grade. We walked the two blocks to school together nearly everyday, regardless of weather. I don’t recall ever being driven to school. In 1926, Sandborn, Indiana was still in the late horse and buggy days. Very few families had cars for the mothers to use for errands. Most of them couldn’t drive a Model T Ford if one was available. I sort of wonder how many 5 year old kids today walk to school?

Helen, my first grade girl friend, soon lost interest in me. She grew more sophisticated each year. We never socialized in later years in any way other than school activities. Margaret Beth, the other girl friend I mentioned, latched on to me in our sophomore year — practically pushing away any other girl that came near me. That situation created a conflict with me and the High School principal, which I might explain later in a teen-age post.

Margaret and I never really started dating until I became 16 years old and had my own Model ‘A” Ford roadster for dating and pleasure driving. In my point of view (I don’t know hers), our relationship was never a serious affair. But it might have became one if she had not moved to Florida shortly after graduating from high school. Who knows??? There were no other steady girl friends in my life until Lomie......