Throwback Thursday... way back when

 It is Thursday and for various reasons I ended my day cooling out watching A Bridge too Far. I have marched across that bridge in Holland, was a paratrooper and constantly studied the European theater of WWII. Nice finish for the day spent on mower maintenance and grass clipping. While visiting Facebook before the DVD, I noted it was Throwback Thursday and wondered if I could scan an old picture from a Yearbook of Yesteryear... the Wayback machine in action.

So I looked in the 1964 Yearbook, and found a picture and in the 1963 Yearbook I found two signatures that I scanned to share. Or laugh gently at the memories. I was known for one of the best in Spanish class, an artist, a Brain (was that a curse in those days?), a rising football player (?), leader of the pack rats, a motorcycle enthusiast (didn't own one then nor ride), a rifle shooter, and not to be forgotten... do any of them know my name now? Well, some did years ago when I started chasing folks with computer searches.

The girl in the top picture is in the High School Rifle Team in 1964, the picture is in the gymnasium and that was the year that the girls could shoot in competition with the boys. I like to remember that was the girl that out shot me in the Junior High Rifle Club the year before. The American History teacher, Mister Mauger, was coach for both organizations and signed my 1963 Year book with his red pen.

 The signature on the other page is from one of the girls that didn't think I should shoot so well. As I remember it, we all shot well, and I like to think none of us ended up having a terrible life because of our education and social and sporting activities. There were guns in the schools, in the cars in the parking lot, in the teachers' desks (maybe). There was a rifle in the hands of the Old Mountaineer, with a beard, pipe and jug of moonshine - simple mascot for the school. No, they weren't rednecks, but Lil' Abner was a famous cartoon character of good heart.

I would like to think that my favorite History teacher thinks I have kept up with the rifle, although I didn't join the High School Rifle team. My Revolutionary War Veterans Association is doing well bringing some marksmanship and heritage back into the school systems as we can.  Carver Middle School, Colorado City, Colorado was the most recent example.


Marksmanship in the Classroom   On Facebook one page is dedicated to promoting marksmanship in the classroom. And the CMP, the NRA, and Military Marksmanship Units continue to support and encourage the competition shooting.

The biggest problem of looking back is noting changes, Blue and White were the school colors, the Old Mountaineer the mascot. Now, a larger School district is Black and Red and the mascot is the Ram. Change happens, and there is not a rifle team nor club listed.