Gym to skating rink

I have no news at this point in the week. However I saw the article about the old Buckhead gym in the paper this week. It brought back memories. Who would have ever thought that it would be a skating rink now?
When I was a child I don’t believe that the gym had been built too many years. The floor looked nice. There was basketball played, both girls and boys. I went out for basketball even though I lived so far away. I never went to a game. I had no way to go. I was short for my age but could run fast. If I ever got the ball I could get a goal.
Once there was to be a special dog show. I worked hard to have money. I had to milk anyway but I was paid one half penny per cow. It took many cows to get 10 cents. In fact I had to milk 20 cows to get 10 cents, which is what the show cost. Back then 10 cents was a lot of money. I had my money on the bus but accidently dropped it. A girl told me that she wasn’t going. Anyway I got my money off the floor of the bus. Classes started. A teacher showed up at my room door and announced to my whole class that she wanted Betty Sue Brake to give – her 10 cents back so that she could go to the show. I told her that it was my money. But she was ugly. So I gave that teacher my money.
The day of the show everybody in the school went to the show except me and one other person. I wasn’t a cry baby about it. We stood at the gym door and tried to peep in but saw nothing. I went home and told mama about it. She was very unhappy. She wrote a letter to that teacher of this other grade that the other girl got my money. The teacher did not come to my room and openly give me the money back. She gave it to me in the hall. She told me that she was sorry for the mix-up.
Another thing about the Buckhead gym was that PE started. World War II had just begun. We were a bunch of young children that they wanted to grow up to be strong and patriotic for America. Victory gardens started then so we could have good fresh food. Canned goods were rational. The troops had to be fed. We had coupons to use when we bought canned goods. By rationing the canned goods it insured that everyone had food.
Anyway back to taking PE the teacher that taught that class gave us a tough time with exercise. She stood and watched everyone and called us down if we weren’t doing well. We lay on the gym floor for many exercises. She found out that a cousin of mine that she was interested in was president of the Cannon Mill at Whitehall. She let up on me. That was one time that I was the teacher’s pet. Yet even then she gave strenuous exercise, which I’m sure helped us girls later as we grew up.
Yes I have memories of the Buckhead gym. We moved away before my class went on to Madison. But there’s many a day that we all went in there at recess and after lunch in the winter when it was so cold. There was always someone practicing the goals. I’m sure that others have memories, too.
In another column I’ll write more about the Buckhead school and gym.

Printed in the September 6. 2012 edition.