I saw a quiz on Mark Evanier’s page. It’s one of those online questionnaires that make the rounds. This one’s about one’s Senior Year in high school… I was vaguely considering it. But then ADD wrote of Facebook, “Who will play along? Unlike Mark Evanier, I understand this question, and my money’s on Roger.” So there it is.
Class of:
1971
Did you know your current love?
No, we didn’t meet until the early ’90s.
Type of car?
Not only did I not have a car, I don’t even remember what car my parents were driving. As I’ve said before, I’m totally car blind.
What kind of work did you do?
From March to early September 1971, I worked at IBM, which I described here.
Where did you live?
The First Ward of Binghamton, NY
Were you popular?
I suppose so. I was elected student government president in my junior year of high school. Also, I was involved with the drama club, mostly on stage crew. There was one time I had more than one line in a play: The Bald Soprano by Eugenie Ionesco. I played the Fire Chief and had a very long recitation that I could not memorize, so somebody made a scroll, and I read the piece, and then I flung it across the stage. Additionally, I was president of the Red Cross club.
Of course, I was in the choir.
Were you in band or choir?
I was in choir all three years at Binghamton Central, and at least for two of them, I was in something called the Male Glee Club, which sang a lot of TTBB Barbershop-type harmony.
Ever get suspended?
No, although I thought there was a possibility. A friend of my then-high school girlfriend had forged the name of one of our teachers, Helen Foley, on a couple of passes. GF and I each had a study hall and wanted to hang out in the auditorium, but we got caught and had to talk to the principal. Then I talked to Helen Foley, which was much worse because I disappointed her.
If you could, would you go back?
Oh, goodness, no.
Still talk to the person that you went to prom with?
Yes, we’re good friends. I wished her a happy birthday a couple of months ago because I remember it.
Did you skip school?
I know I attended a rally when Julian Bond was in downtown Binghamton, but I don’t remember if that was during or after school. I did leave a walkout of our school once. The school had enforced draconian rules about walking on the grass, and people were getting suspended. So, as student government president, I convened a meeting on the sidewalk and voted to walk on the grass, which ticked off the principal, but he didn’t do anything about it.
Pigskin
Go to all the Football games?
It was probably half the home games the year I was student government president, but never the away games.
Favorite subject?
American history, although I did like algebra and trigonometry.
Do you still have your yearbook?
Yes, although I never got my class photo out of this sense of strange rebellion. My picture shows up about eight times in the book.
Did you follow your career path?
I don’t even know what my career path was. I was thinking about becoming a lawyer or going into politics, but I didn’t do that. Having been a page at the Binghamton Public Library, I should’ve known that it should have been my career path. It took me until I was in my late 30s to figure that out.
Do you still have your high school ring?
I never had a high school ring and never wanted one.
Who was your favorite teacher?
The aforementioned Helen Foley was the public speaking teacher and the drama club director. She wrote my too-long speech when I was supposed to introduce Rod Serling, the one he walked out during.
Gimme a head with hair
What was your hairstyle?
I could never pull off a really good Afro, and even then, my hairline was starting to recede.
Favorite shoes?
Red Chuck Taylors
Favorite food?
I don’t have a strong sense of this. It’s probably something my grandmother made: pork chops or chicken, maybe the spaghetti my father made.
Favorite band?
This was a transitional time, late 1970. The Beatles (Because) had just broken up. Simon and Garfunkel (Song For The Asking) seemed to be defunct. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young (Carry On)? Santana (Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen)? Led Zeppelin (Immigrant Song)? The Band (The Shape I’m In)? Possibly Sly and The Family Stone (Thank You).
What cologne/perfume?
For a minute, I did have some eau de something, but I don’t remember the name.
How old were you when you graduated?
I was about six weeks shy of my 18th birthday. In Binghamton, in those years, you could start school in either September or February, and I was a February starter. So, we graduated in January 1971, which is weird. They don’t do that anymore.
Who will play along?
I don’t know. I recommended it to my baby sister because her experience differs somewhat from mine. She moved to Charlotte, NC, with our parents in the early 1970s, so she didn’t graduate from the same high school that our other sister and I graduated from. That’s kind of interesting to me.
What high school did you attend?
I went to ninth grade at Daniel S. Dickinson, where I attended K-9. I attended Binghamton (NY) Central for grades 10-12. BCHS merged with Binghamton North c. 1982, located at the site of BCHS.