Robert (Ben) Carbo

Roger Felton

That is so amazing, Joyce.  What are the odds that you would work for one of the most famous men in medicine and also have attended a school named after his dad. 

I remember Mr. Steed.  Wasn't he the teacher that would have the class "outline" our history book ( I think) several chapters at a time.  Lord I hated that.  I'd spend an hour or two outlining that stuff only to have to do it again the next day...and the next for friggin ever. 

The funny thing is I don't think he ever read those.  I bet he'd just look and see that I had scribbled down something for 10 or 15 pages and go on to the next one.  I could have outlined the script to "Debbie Does Dallas" and he wouldn't have known the difference.  Ok, maybe if I had then he'd have taken the time to read mine.  Mighta got an A.

James King

Don't remember Hardman at Cooley.

Joyce Barta (Bayersdorfer)

Me neither re Hardman.

Roger Felton

Mr Steed was a hard man....does that count?

Sharon Froehner (Mueller)

What I know about a Ms. Hartman at Cooley.  My oldest sister was 6 years ahead of us in school.  When she was in the 6th grade, her teacher was a Ms. Hartman.  Benny, do you think this might be the lady you are wondering about?  My sister had her as her 6th grade teacher during the 1952-1953 school year.  She remembers that at sometime during that year, Ms. Hartman was hit in the head by the EXIT light at the front of the school. Unfortunately, she was standing under the light when the large glass cover feel off the wall onto her head.  She didn't return to school that year and I far as I know, she never returned to Cooley.  As all of us who went to Cooley know, it was very old and falling apart when we were there but we loved it.  Joyce & James Larry, I thought the basement was sort of haunted - particularly that low ceiling area we had to walk through to get to the cafeteria from Mrs. Wilson's room.  Can you imagine letting today's protected kids run down the fire escape to get from the classroom room to the playground?   The building was old and our parents spent a lot of time and money trying to keep it as up-to-date as possible.  I do have many great memories of Cooley and all my wonderful friends from those days!!  

James King

Sharon, I agree with you.  Cooley's basement was very spooky when I was in it alone.  The lighting was poor and the plumbing/heating pipes were exposed along the ceiling in various directions.

Roger Felton

It's amazing what you guys remember so well from over 50 years ago.  Some of the things that stick out in my feeble mind were the creaky wooden floors.  I remember they were somewhat rough like the sawmill was in bad need of a new blade when they were cut.  They were very dark...almost pitch black from years of mopping with that gritty green stuff they used.

In the back, from top to bottom was the fire escape.  I can't remember it too clearly but I do remember it was really rickety looking.  If a bunch of kids had tried to use that fire escape in an emergency they'd have ended up across the street in a pile of twisted metal.  It woulda scuffed them up a bit.  Coulda been old rusted steps but I seem to remember it as a kind of zig-zaggy slide. I could be wrong.

Then there was the mysterious "boiler room".  Never got to peek in there but I was always glad somebody was in there boiling something that made those radiators in the rooms warm in the winter.

I also remember one day I was near the swings at the playground and found a dime that was dated 1892.  Felt sad that some kid long before me had lost their lunch money and had to go hungry.  Kept that dime for a lotta years but lost it somehow.

Eileen Elizabeth Waller (Sidlo)

I remember being in Miss Warren's 3rd grade class at Cooley - and using the "fire escape" stairs off her room to go to the playground.  Someone in that class got "pink eye" - and they BURNED ALL THE DESKS!

James King

Roger, I recall there were two fire escapes at Cooley.  One was a slide that was located on the west side of the original wood framed building and the other was a steel stair located on the south side of the original wood framed building.  The west wing was an addition to the original building and was concrete framed, classrooms were on the first and second floors and the lunch room/kitchen were in the basement of that wing.  Way too much info. 

Eileen, you spoke of burning desks.  One night some boys broke into Cooley when we were attending there and they set desks on fire in one of the classrooms.  Do you remember that?

Robert (Ben) Carbo

Patricia Bissonnet (Bissonnet)

For some reason I started thinking about Johnny May today,.  He taught me to make spit wads in the first grade.  He had the reddest hair and a face full of freckles.  Whenever I think of Tom Sawyer, I think of Johnny May.  Does anyone know what happened to him after high school?

Tom Britton

I believe Johnny died quite a few years ago.

Guy Hunter

I saw Johnny sometime in '74 ot '75. He was working as a camera man at channel 39 at the time. I know he did a tour in Viet Nam because we talked about having been in some of the same places at different times. I'm not sure what became of him after that.

Jerry Russell

Johnny & I were pretty good friends for a long time. He was outstanding diver, and we did some swimming together, along with lot of church activities.  His mom & mine were close friends. Sometime in the mid-70's, when we had the store, Mrs May (Gwen), came by and asked me to check on Johnny.  He had not spoken to her in over 5 years.  Don't know and didn't ask why, but I went to his house on Saxon & visited briefly.  He had no desire to reconcile with his mother.  Believe he had a sister; don't have any idea what happened after that. Yes, he had the reddest hair of anyone I have ever known.

Pamela Roesler (Lemoine)

Johnny May still lives in Garden Oaks. He does not have a relationship with either of his living siblings at this time. Jimmy May is in assisted living and has been for many years. Suzi passed away before our 20th reunion. Penny, the oldest and I believe from Waltrip's first graduating class, is Jimmy's primary caretaker. Joe Anderson still visits Jimmy when he is in the States and communicates with Penny as needed.

Jerry Russell

Thank you for the update.  Just a side note, my mother taught (3rd grade), all of the May children, as well as Jenny & Joe Anderson.

Jacquie Campbell (Biggs)

Gwen May is still alive?  All the Mays and Andersons went to St Matthews Methodist on Shepherd/43rd.  

Mildred Sue (Suzie) May (Cunningham)

Gwen May died March 4, 2006. 

Tom Britton

It's nice to know "the rest of the story" about our fellow classmates who cross our mind from time to time.

Thanks for the heads up. And wouldn't you know that Suzie would have exact dates??!!

Robert (Ben) Carbo

Kay and I just got back from Aggieland.  We celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary on June 4th with a dinner party at Pebble Creek Country Club in College Station with friends and family.  Our anniversary was actually on March 26th, but it is always cold and raining then so we decided to have the party in June so the weather would be warm and dry.  Well, it was warm, but the 500 year weather event all over Texas came close to washing us out.  I had a long strory to tell about our life together, but I made a mistale and l left it out where Kay could see it and she marked though most of it.  Well, it didn't matter because I left what wasn't crssoed out in my truck back at the hotel and remembered a few things to share.  We really appreciated everyone braving the weather to come share this special day with us.  We only had one last minute cancellation, Jim and Beth Cunningham, and that was only because of Jim being admitted into the hospital that afternoon for complications of his heart condition.  We visited Jim in the hospital at Herman Memorial in the Woodlands before returning home.  Say a prayer for him, he has been battling major health issues since 1992.  Kay and I went to see our Aggies beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Regional Baseball Championship Series Sunday night.  We both love to attend Aggie sporting events every chance we get.  We even purchased an Airstream and have it parked outside of Bryan just so we would have a place to stay when we go to the games.  We shared a few pictures of the party on my profile. 

Austin Duane Zent

Mr and Mrs Carbo, Just wanted to say congratulations on your wedding anniversary, you are blessed. My wife and I made to 30 years before she was taken by cancer. May Gods blessings continue for you both. Austin Zent

Stephen Ray Puckett

Good for you, Benny!    

Stephen Ray Puckett

Many of us skated at Tradewinds.  It is now closed but the building is still there.   It has a lot of memories.

My guess at who these are, L-R: Our own Sammy Diaz (Waltrip, '65), Tommy Tucker (Waltrip '66), ?, ?, David Fowler (Waltrip '66),?,Zack Boles (Waltrip, '66). From the apparent ages of the guys, I will guess this photo is from around 1960 or so.  Per Tommy, it is Sammy, Tommy, Mark Clure (Hogg, later Reagan), Bill Kessler, David, etc.

Sandy Spears (Koslosky-Siddall)

Loved the skating rink. One wonderful boy took the time to teach me some moves - on skates - and I still remember that. Unfortunately I don't remember his name.

Cooley - I shared this with some of my Cooley friends earlier: it was quite a clture shock for a kid from Stevens, a fairly new school. My daddy attended Cooley in the early 1930s. His family lived across the street. He said when he heard the bell ring he'd run out the front door to get to class. When we transferred Dusty, my brother, actually had one of Daddy's teachers. Luckily I was assigned Mrs. Wilson - loved her and all my classmates there. The basement: I reminded Joyce of the time she and Sharon F were clowning around and broke the window in the girls bathroom. It was when I first started. Oh, yeah, the fire escape - where the boys would run down first so they could look up the girls' dresses as we came down. And what about catch em and kiss em in the playground? I didn't do that kind of fun stuff at Stevens. I thought you guys were pretty fast and wild but I wouldn't trade a minute of it. :-)