High school came as a shock. It was all about clothes, name brand clothes such as Jantzen, White Stag, Pendleton, hairstyles, makeup, boys, dates, dances and clicks. The following paragraphs explain more about the dynamic’s of Valley County consisting of McCall, Donnelly, Cascade and Lake Fork. McCall had more rich people than the surrounding towns. The local lumber baron Warren Brown led the wealthy pack with Harwoods next in line. They built new ranch style homes on the lakefront of Payette Lake, which McCall is famous for. Three or more bedrooms with attached 3 car garages built in a curving “L” style so all windows looked out with a view of the lake…Compared to other houses in McCall that were basic 2 or 3 bedroom homes of less than 1000 square feet, the new lakeside homes were huge and spelled money in a big way.
I started high school with a new pair of shoes, a couple of dresses, skirts and blouses. The tag in them read, well really there wasn’t a tag, they were made by my Mom. She did her best but she wasn’t very fashion conscious. I’m not sure that I really cared but I do remember wanting a pleated wool Pendleton skirt. I was in the same boat with the majority of other kids because the poor outnumbered the rich many times over.
Sports for girls were non-existent except for a mediocre softball team. We played volleyball and half court basketball in PE classes. These games were nothing like today’s sports for girls. It was believed at the time that girls were more fragile and didn’t have the stamina for sports. We usually ended up being half/time entertainment at basketball games in the form of dance teams or comedy routines dressed in purple bloomers like clowns.
As eighth graders we were asked to join the high school band and this opened doors for me to be part of an organization, get acquainted with older students and again ease my way into high school.
A new band teacher, Mr. Boyd, had been hired and he worked hard to expand the music program. He approached the administration about including the Jr. high students in the high school band and choir. He was a fantastic teacher, he expected the most out of all of his students, and he didn’t put up with being late for class or forgetting your instrument. He taught us the proper way to sit, instruments either at rest or in play position. Watching him at all time was a must; if anyone was caught goofing off they were out of the band, second chances not allowed. He commanded respect and we loved and admired him for it.
He soon had all of us, junior high and high school working on more difficult pieces, and the most amazing part was that we were all enjoying making music. We played in music festivals in Lewiston, Idaho every spring, marched and played in the Thanksgiving Parade in Boise. He started a pep band, and we played at every ball game for the next five years. We traveled with the teams to the Boise Valley, and stayed overnight with students from the other schools. When I was a senior we made a trip to Moscow, Idaho where we played for a University basketball game. He introduced us to the world of classical music, Grand Canyon Suite, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies, marches by John Phillips Sousa, and many more.
I continued playing in the band through high school and enjoyed it much more than most of my classes. It gave many of us kids, who didn’t compete in sports, a place to excel and feel a part of the extracurricular activities. I traveled and experience things that otherwise would have been unavailable to me.
By the time I was a senior I had found the “college boy” of my dreams, was engaged to be married and no longer had to worry about whether I was popular or not or if my clothes were Jantzen or White Stag.
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