The Elm Tree's Shadow Linger

Life has nothing sweeter

than its Springtime
Golden days, when we’re young—

Golden Days
The Student Prince


My college days have always been the happiest days of my life. I've never wavered from this feeling.. My children have sometimes been upset by the fact that other great moments in my life take second place such my wedding day or their births. But I still know that taken all in all, I had more fun in college than anywhere or anytime else.

Every day Iwoke up with anticipation of the fun I knew was in store. Oh sure, there were classes and tests. There was that. And I worked three jobs in addition to carrying a full load of credits.

But, I had always dreamed of going to North Park in Chicago. My dad graduated from there in 1910 and my sister had gone there also. I could have gone to the local community college but I went to work instead for a year and with scholarships and the money I had saved from my $10 a week secretarial job.

I have a diary I kept for the first three months at college. (Longest I ever managed to keep a diary) and my entry for my 18th birthday states,” It is everything I ever imagined it would be and I am so very happy to be here.” In this case, anticipation was not greater than realization and I thought life was wonderful.

College was freedom, friendships, belonging –really finding a place for me in life. I had been brought up very strictly as had many of my new classmates. We went to the movies three times a week and sat through three at a time. Most of us had never seen a movie before. Folks, this was the time of no TV, and no cell phones.

We had one phone on the wall in each dorm. It wasn’t quite the time of my father’s favorite radio show “Fibber McGee and Molly” where he had to ring up the operator and yell, “Hey Myrt, get me Johnny, will ya?” but we had progressed to a dial phone I think.

World War 11 was going on and we were mostly a girls college because of it. But that did not dim our fun. We had servicemen on leave and some girls had boyfriends who visited with buddies in tow. And there were always the Seminary lads -- great guys, most engaged, the rest called up for service . But we made our own fun and I think all of us reveled in the same things I did that now we were on our own and could do as we pleased within the boundaries of the school rules-------ahhhh, but there is the rub.

WhenI look back, the breaking of those rules was the most fun.

Another story to come.