7 - 12*

7-12
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Prologue: Grades 7-12 were held in the building on West Fourth Street, across from my Grandfather Coppock's house. I met all of the students from the East School and the South School him wake up. According to many teachers, it was one of the best classes ever to graduate. We had the best of teachers and coaches. I also attended eighth grade in Naples, Florida and junior year at Culver Military Academy. Unlike other students, I found out from these experiences how good the Greenville schools were. In the following, I hope to explain how well so many friends from different backgrounds did so well. Help for those who tried, unlike today, there were so many avenues to successful lives.

A) Seventh Grade. The seventh grade was getting out of the North End, riding my bicycle to school and maintaining a C+ average. The important point was that a teacher, Mr. Donald Mehan, saw the talent in our class. He taught a number of courses all the way through our senior year. The year was rather uneventful. I guess the high point was meeting such wonderful new friends. A talented group, academically and athletically. The bonding experience. It was also a new world, downtown became the new playground.

 

B) Eighth Grade. The eighth grade was most interesting because we spent the majority of the year in Naples, Florida. Dad had bladder cancer and sold his company, Warrens Stores. Eighth grade comprised of 20 students. Naples was a little fishing town with a fleet of shrimp boats. It was an education in that my friends were Mitchell Cannon and Buzzard Row. Mitchell's Dad had a shrimp boat and Buzzard Row lived in the Everglades.The varsity football team was six men. The teachers and education were very second rate. The high point was that classmates had girlfriends and could get a driver's license at 14 and then drive to the beach and make out. While academically far behind Greenville, culturally years ahead. Dad and Mother spent their winter's in Naples for the rest of their lives. (If Dad had only bought an acre or two of swamp!).

C) Ninth Grade. Got my average up to B. But flunked typing. Was on the Student Council. High point was summer after freshman year, I went to Culver Military Summer School. It was a great summer I was in the Navy in West Barracks. I learned to sail and to play tennis..

D) Tenth Grade. In the 10th grade I played on the reserve football team. I was captain of the tennis team. (High point was when I made the second round of the district tennis finals. I then lost 6/0, 6/1, to Barry McKay, who later was for a brief time, number one tennis player in the world. Had better than a B average. The high point of the 10th year however, was a great trip to Europe in the Big Red Lincoln.

E) Eleventh Grade. I had decided that I liked Culver so much that I would go to winter school. Mistake! Again, I stayed in West Barracks the same as summer school, but with a different group. Many were troublemakers and wealthy Chicago brats, etc. Academics were not the greatest. Winter was cold and barren. I took boxing classes but no other sports. I did make a number of friends like Ferdinand Winkle-John from Celina, Ohio (my summertime drinking buddy) who went to Columbia University,

F) 12th Grade. Returning to Greenville High School. One of the best decisions of my life. Friends encouraged me to run for class president, I did and won. The best of all was that I made right guard on the football team and made first-team all Miami Valley League. We were undefeated and ranked number 10 in class A Ohio. All my friends were on the team. (Every person on the offense earned at least a master's degree.) It was a great year. I had dates, but no girlfriend. Captain of the tennis team again. (Amusing story: First semester report card was all A’s except one D. The D was in Music. Miss Hill, the Music instructor since grade school called me in to her office. (She had taught me since the first grade) She said, Fred, I don’t usually do this but I will change your D to a B if you do as I say, “When we sing, make your mouth move but no sounds please”). I got the B.

Outstanding Class Members. As I noted at Princeton, I met so many outstanding students. Greenville High School had a number of like success stories. A few examples: Edward Nelson, 1st in our class. (his father had a small plant that made tiles for farm drainage) Ed became a chief designer for Boeing Aircraft and Space Missiles. Joe Shockney, (his father was an electrician) graduated from Purdue University and earned a PhD at MIT. He became Executive Vice President of Valero Petroleum, the largest oil refining company in Texas. Gary Gruber, (his father was an accountant for a small firm) graduated Princeton Theological School, Minister and Headmaster of a girl's school in Philadelphia. Manyo Petering, Texas State yodeling champion. Tom Farmer (his father was a factory worker) earned a Master's degree at Dartmouth in Business. Was top executive for Sprint Telephone. And of course, many others I mentioned in stories of Greenville on the Northenders.

G) The Real Education Jobs. Again, I was lucky in that Dad always found good jobs for me. Sophomore year, I worked in the A&P Grocery Store for Mr. Taylor, taking inventory and filling customer's grocery bags. My best jobs were working for Fry Construction Company the summer after junior year and the summer after senior year. My working partner was classmate John Spidel. One of my best friends. (VP of the class. All-league Quarterback. And later became a linebacker and quarterback at Michigan. We had the best of times those summers.) Our foreman was a Marine in the South Pacific, real tough guy! Barney Ramert! In the two summers John and I worked for Barney, we learned more about how to behave and what is right and wrong and from any teacher I ever had in school.

 

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