If seeing something like the photo above brings back vivid nightmares or makes you feel like you are about break out in hives...sorry.
Actually, the photo is a little fuzzy, so you will have to click on it to make it large enough to read easily.
So just what the heck is it?
This is my final report card from our freshman year at Father Ryan in the spring of 1966. Of course, all of us got these from time to time while we were in school, even though we might have dreaded them coming and then having to take them home to our parents.
Why do I have still have this report card. Who knows?
But looking back and seeing the familiar names of teachers and the courses I took does bring back a lot of memories (and most of them are good ones).
It also kind of reminds me of a hit song by the Beach Boys back in the day that really hits home as we approach our 40th Class Reunion just a couple of weeks away.
It's "Be True To Your School", and here it is, by the Beach Boys and courtesy of YouTube.....
Aren't some of those pictures and the album covers a real hoot? Kind of takes you back to our time together at Ryan a few years back.
And so if you haven't already done so, send in that RSVP and your check so you can attend our Class Reunion Party at Jimmy Wilson's home on Saturday, June 6, 2009. 40 years is long enough. It's time we all got together again!
Pat's report card reproduction and recollections
ReplyDeletebrought back something I haven't thought of in years.If what I'm about to reveal was known 40
years ago,or so,it would have had a devestatingly
negative impact on my high school social life!
But, Im sure the statute of limitations has ex-
pired, so here goes:
When I was in grade school and high school,
my mother insisted on good grades.Although she
would tolerate a "C",it hardly made her "atta
boy" list.In fact,if we(my Brothers and Sister)
made anything less than a "C" we were grounded
for 6 weeks,or until the next report card came
out. Her groundings were brutally serious... we
were absolutely precluded from going anywhere
outside of school and Mass on Sunday.
At Ryan,as ya'll will unboubtedly remember,
we received "number" grades as opposed to"letter"
grades.Mama determined that a score of 80 was the
bottom limit of what she considered to be a'C'(much
too high,but as they say "them,s the rules").I
think I'm remembering this correctly but, the first few report cards we received at Ryan were
made of heave blue paper that was archaic but
tragically effective in resisting tampering!which
meant I was pretty much house bound for my first
4 or 5 months at Dear old Father Ryan(damn the
bad luck)
But.... enter the new computer? slips(see
Pat's grade report)This new format was fantastic
fodder for fraud(wouldn't Mrs.Wallenhorst(sp.)
be proud of that alliterative mouthful)!!
It was fortuitous,to say the least that I
worked at my Grandfather's water heater mfg.co.
(RowCon)after school on occasion,but ALWAYS on
the afternoon of report card day!!It seemed the
office at the plant had a couple of Xerox copiers
,plenty of white-out ,an Xacto knife,or two(I
think you can see where I'm going with this)and
just about any material I needed to render me
grounded proof!
I,m really looking forward to seeing Ya,ll
I,m sure we,ll have many more memories (some
maybe even legal)
THanks Pat, see you soon.
J.Richard Conditt.