Wilbur Shirey has a problem. He wants to invite all the Girl Scouts who invited him to a dance back in 1955 or 1956 to a mini-reunion at our 50th reunion celebration in 2oo9. "I'm buying," he says.
Problem is, no one can remember inviting him to a Girl Scout dance. No one can remember that were Girl Scouts dances. And, to top it off, no one can remember where such dances might have been held. But that's getting ahead of the story. Let's tell it from the beginning:
On March 5, Wilbur Shirey, one of the most congenial and generous of our classmates, writes:
How 'bout if I hosted a reunion of the Girl Scout Troop that was kind enough to invite me to their dances at someplace on Third Street. I'll do that at Frenchville if you guys can locate the rest of the Troop and their spouses. What fun that would be!
Peggy Jo responds:
What dances...are we talking about? There was a building on the side street by the Lyric Theater where the Girl Scouts met which was big enough for such an event. ... I don't remember dances there but that doesn't mean there weren't any.
Editor's Note - We all know that if PJ doesn't remember a dance or dances, it never happened. She was, after all, the Dance Queen of our CAHS Class of '59.
This sets off Wilbur, who responds testily:
Somebody has to remember those dances besides me. They were fun and they were on the second floor of someplace on third street when the tracks were still there. This would have been in 8th grade in 1955 or 1956. Come on Bonnie, your Mother always sponsored the dances. O'Day was invited to every party so I'm sure he was there as was Ash. I think Bill Fuhrer may have been there. Maybe Brigandi. You girls have to remember who you invited, for God's sake!! I'm buying so I appoint Bonnie Wilson Hartsock to chair the Invitation Committee with a license to solicit anyone else's help she needs. This will be a morning or afternoon get together, a decision to be made later. The signs will be Green and Gold or whatever colors Girl Scout signs are these days. We'll figure all that out. What was the Troop Number? Somebody still has their blouse with the numbers sewn on the shoulder!
Again, PJ:
I can' bring any clarity to your situation...sorry. ... I was a GS & still have my pin to prove it.....unfortunately I probably could still fit into the blouse if I had it!
Jerriann Jury responds:
I was a girl scout too --- I don't remember any dances either.
Moving on to another subject, Wil brings up the matter of classmate parties and photos taken during those parties:
Another place there were parties was in (name withheld)'s basement. I was never invited, but I know they had fun. Why don't you (Denny Mollura) try putting out a call for an organizer? ...I think Peggy Jo or Suzy Nagle went to those parties.
Sue Sherkel responds:
I don't remember anyone taking photos at any of the parties that we had at my house - and there were lots of those. In fact, my mother used to say that she never knew a bunch of people to have so many, that we had parties to plan parties to plan parties, that any excuse would do. Many of those were spur-of-the-moment, too. Nobody ever thought to bring a camera. They were also multi-class - friends from '57, '58, '59, '60, etc. That same multi-class bunch had many picnic/parties at Splash Dam in Goshen.We girls also had lots of slumber parties - mostly at Sandy Brown's or my house, or in Helen Adam's brother's "pad" in the Adam's garage. Again, I don't think we even thought to take pictures.
Wil presses his case:
I...am looking for pictures from high school. You (Sue Sherkel) had some pictures from Bobby Lingle's camp after Prom at the last reunion at the Elks or Eagles Club. I know moving is tough on pictures, but would you be able to put your hands on those pictures? ... Can you give me some hope that you might be able to find them?
Again, Sue Sherkel:
I do NOT have any pictures from the after-prom party at Lingle's camp. It might have been YOUR date...who took the pictures that you're remembering; but she hasn't been to any reunions - so it must have been somebody else's. I can't even remember who all was there. (Your date) probably has a better memory of the evening than I do. Ya know, there were lots of parties at my house; but I don't remember anyone ever having a camera there. ...Most of those parties were impromptu, anyway - "cruising" around town in somebody's car, and hearing a yelled message from another car "Party at Sherkel's!", and having to hurry home to forewarn my parents - nobody would have thought to bring a camera. Sorry I can't help.
Wil responds:
I can't imagine who else had those pictures. They were black and white photographs. I think the reason no one took pictures was they were expensive and no one had any money that I knew. Would Joyce Shugarts Undercofler have had the pictures? How 'bout Sandy Brown? ...Maybe Penny Hile? The pictures were on the table where we came in and registered at the Elks (I think it was the Elks.) Who else would have had pictures there? You've got to figure that out because I need the pictures.
Again, PJ:
Like I said, I've missed something so I can't bring any clarity to your situation.....sorry.
Let's review what we know about Wil's being invited to a Girl Scout dance:
1. Wil remembers being invited to a dance or dances by Girl Scouts some place on Third Street in 1955 or 1956.
2. No one, not even PJ who still has her Girl Scout pin and would still fit in her Girl Scout blouse if she had it, remembers inviting Wil to a Girl Scout dance.
3. No one remembers that there were Girl Scout dances.
4. No one remembers where such dances might have been held.
Let's review what we know about B-W photos :
1. Wil remembers B-W photos taken of him at Bob Lingle's party after the senior prom.
2. Wil remembers seeing such photos at a class reunion at the Elks Club.
3. Wil is not even sure it was the Elks Club. ("I think it was the Elks," he says.)
4. No one - not PJ, not Sherkel, not Jerriann, not anyone - remembers seeing such photos or having such photos on display at a class reunion.
IS THERE A PATTERN HERE?
UNLESS THERE IS A DRAMATIC SHIFT IN MEMORIES, WILBUR IS GOING TO BE DRINKING ALONE AT HIS GIRL SCOUT PARTY. NARY A PICTURE IN SIGHT.
-- Dennis Mollura
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