I have a cousin who writes a weekly column for her local paper. This week she wrote about a friend who came back into town with her husband to attend his class reunion. She, (the out of town-er) and my cousin got of group of their classmates together and went to lunch. While chatting they decided since their classmates were...were... 'passing-on' perhaps they should have an unscheduled reunion of their own. I guess whether they will or not was left up in the air.
My cousin mentioned in her article that their high school was no longer in existence so really "all they have left" is indeed their memories, (and hopefully their yearbooks, although today I think they are called annuals).
Anyhoooo, that got me to thinking that my old high school is also no longer a school. I've forgotten what occupies the space today; I think it is some kind of office complex. Here's what I do know. When the remodeling took place somebody from one of the graduating classes managed to get their hands on one of the teacher's classroom door and drug it home. From what I understand she hung on to it until the year of her class reunion and then (of all things) she took the door along. Everyone was told to put their name on a slip of paper, there would be a door prize. As the evening progressed there was quite a bit of conversation about the door and the teacher to whom the door belonged and at the end of the evening there was a random drawing for the door prize and the prize was (of course)..the door. The winner became known as the 'keeper of the door' until the next reunion.
The number on the door is 210, and it's heavy oak. It belonged to teacher Miss Sue Green, she was invited to the reunion to attend the 'keeper or the door' presentation. According to the newspaper article, "Green expressed surprise to learn that the door from her class room was preserved." The article goes on to say..."We told her that it was because all her students liked her so much and respected the things she did for us." Apparently Miss Green "... gazed at us, and gave us a look that we'd seen many times. That look said...'oh, sure you did'."
However. Miss Green was indeed a teacher over and above other teachers. She spoke softly but with great authority and she had the respect of each and every student. She would stand outside her 150 pound oak door between every change of class, and never shut it until every student was no longer in the hall and where he/she was supposed to be when a new class began. There was never misbehavior with Miss Green looking on. My sister was the first in my family to have her as a teacher, I followed the next year, the first thing she asked was if I was Nancy's sister. Uh-oh I thought, I've got some mighty big shoes to fill. Eventually the rest of my siblings attended one of her World Cultures Classes as well. She taught for almost 50 years, had I not left my hometown my children probably would have attended her class as well.
Funny how life is, after I graduated I sent her a card and note every Christmas, and she responded in kind every year until I learned from a classmate she had passed away. I'm sure she had a lot of students who did the same. As the newspaper article ends, David Lester who had 'won the door' stated he was honored to keep the door because it represented more than just a door prize. "It's amazing that it takes a person so long to appreciate what a teacher like Miss Green has done for her students. I just wish we could have realized that fact when we were going to school."
If I had won that door, I'm not sure I would have given it up...I just hope the class that has the door is continuing the tradition and does so for as long as possible; but eventually I hope it is returned to the new high school with the door prize story attached and it is preserved for generations to come. I think it would be a great honor for the school to be the final 'keeper of the door'.
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