Thoughts about - P.E.
Who liked PE? The only time I liked it
was when I had a bunch of friends in class whom I could stand around and
chit chat with all through class. What was with those gym teachers? They
seemed so dumb that it is amazing to me that they got through college.
And the classes themselves...I was one of the only girls among my group
of friends who did not have a medical excuse (MDX) to get out of swimming.
In fact, my doctor had a big sign on his door, "no medical excuses given
without a legitimate reason". I guess it could have been worse--I could
have been a guy and had to have gone in swimming naked. What was the reasoning
for that? What about in girls gym once we didn't have to go swimming? Do
youremember that we had to have a certain amount of showers in order to
pass the class? Didn't they think we bathed at home? What wierdness...
~~~Hazel Greenfield
My memories of PE have lots to do with those
wretched gym suits, the wretched swim suits, tiny towels, cold cold water
in the pool, gym teachers watching to showers to make certain we actually
did shower (HA) and feeling the whole thing was, in general, a waste of
time. I also remember putting shoe polish on canvas sneekers to keep them
white.
~~~Shelley Volk
This reminds me about the towel fee
we had to pay. Also, how about running around outside in a t-shirt
and shorts when it was cold out? About the naked swimming -- it was
never explained to me why appearing in the flesh was crucial to my education.
~~~Don Larson
And how do you think swimming naked these
days in high school would fly? Also I remember in health, some gym
teacher would throw erasers at us because we fell asleep.
~~~Don Ransenberg
Remember how Suzy Fox got a "D" in
gym for wearing a peace button and sandals to class?
~~~Nancy Henning Weres
I was wondering if a lesson plan was
ever submitted. Seemed like it was "roll the ball out and let them play".
~~~Jack Peller
I remember being amazed that they never
figured out a girl couldn't miss PE 4 times a month for having her period...
I guess they did figure it out by my senior year, because I had to take
2 or 3 PE classes that year to graduate...
~~~Suzy Fox
I remember getting suspended for smoking
(cigarettes) by mr. costello. He was the p.e. teacher that spent most of
his time in his smoke filled office!
~~~Robyn Nieman
I remember wearing those bathing suits, that
never fit right and sometime would come off partly. Also, the blue
gym suits that were definitely not shapely, or stylish.
~~~Karen Burnstein Harness
Gym teachers were Beaton, Strelchek,
McGarvey, Jancarak...GAA, the volleyball tournaments..basketball tournaments
wneh we played "captain" basketball, watching the games from upstairs in
the balcony..winning both volleyball and bastketball our senior year.
Me Sharon Wagner, Stella Loukas, Sheila Turner, Yvonne Turner others.
Loved Bowen !! Just reconnected with some classmates and have enjoyed every
trip down memory lane (I was class of '72 -- my sister Leslie Ostoich was
'67)
~~~Martha Ostoich Teshich
Ah, Captain Basketball....I remember winning
and getting a letter for it freshman year. But nothing compared to
the football games at Eckersall!!! Gayety's afterward...Lee Flessor
chasing the Blue Division champ players from standing in the booths
and rocking the place. Remember Papageorge...he just stood there
and smoked his "stogie". Barbara McGarvey passed away recently. I
remember going to my first Homecoming dance in the gym freshmen year.
I wore a banana wool, "empire" waist dress from Carres'. That was
THE place in South Chicago to get your prom dress, too. Then there
was shopping on 87th and getting a haircut at Gabrirel Sakeeny....Thomas'
Restaurant...Arnie's...TriHiY...Beta and the dances at the Serbian Hall
after football games...George Lalich, Angelo Loukas and Mel Agee ... Bowen
brings back a wealth of fond memories that are so tangible, it was THE
high school, but then again, try to tell that to South Shore.!!Quite different
now, of course. Anyone else from class of '67 please write.
~~~Leslie Ostoich Hayden
I am from the class of '67.....Don
Larson...I sure remember you! It seems that you were quite the character...in
a fun way. And that nude swimming....hmmmm?....I always wondered
about those gym/swim teachers....Why did guys go nude and girls didn't?
If anyone comes up with that one, it could make a good story. Oh
yes, then there were the records at Mr. T's, where my first record that
I bought was 'Shout"...yuck, why did I like that? And those Chocolate
Phosphates at Thomas's....I would anything for one now...and the Gant shirts
at Mr. Bs....my regards to Ann 'B'ulmash, too.
~~~Ed Pearl
Further to Don Ransenberg's:
It was Mr. Noble, bless his heart.
He gave us students the written portion of the Illinois State driver's
test in class. He also gave all of us the correct answers, with the
exception of one question, so that none of us would get "perfect" scores
and subject him to suspicion.
Not only did he throw erasers, he also
threw pieces of chalk and the occasional crutch, when one was handy.
Additionally, he used the health class time to run the previous week's
Boilermaker football team movies backwards; what a trip!
Finally, I recall that, during periods
of good weather when we would play softball outside during P.E., he would
often send students across the street to the "school store" to buy him
a brownie, a Yoohoo (sp?) chocolate drink, and a pack of cigarettes.
He was the only P.E. teacher who was "cool".
The restof the coaches were pretty tough.
It was Mr. Costello who caught me smoking a cigarette in the park across
the street . He decked me with a hard right, knocking the cigarette
out of my mouth and dropping me to the concrete. Who knew that corporal
punishment was'nt allowed?
~~~Mark Schub
Beaton, if you read this my e-mail is PBMESA
at AOL . YOU WERE THE GREATEST!
I think it was the summer of 1991, when
I had seen you last. I came back to my old neighborhood ( 89th&Houston).
I gathered up some of my old friends and we had our own reunion.
It was great! I am from class of 1971. I know you will remember
me!!!!!!!!
~~~Patty Bales
I was an assistant to one of the P.E.
teachers. He divided the boys (I think class of 1968) into baseball
teams. He had made up the teams by ethnicity, one team all Jewish, one
team all Black, one team all Hispanic and the last team was
Serbian/Polish. Many of the Serbian/Polish kids’ names
ended in “ski” so for fun the teacher put one Jewish kid on
the team whose name ended in “sky”. The one Chinese kid was
put on the black team where he was greeted with the name
“Brother.” While I can’t speak for everyone in
the class no one seemed to mind and there was more laughter during that
period then in any other class I ever attended at Bowen.
~~~Scott Brand '67
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