Life Since Edinburg High School
2005
After surviving three years in the Marine Corps with Jerry Kaml, Charles Alexander and Tosh Williams, I returned to Edinburg very unsure of my future. I asked my dad about joining in his farming operations. He said that I might as well head to Las Vegas and gamble – it would be less risky than farming. “Get an education,” he advised. So I enrolled in Pan American. My mom worried about my soul and insisted that I start attending the Edinburg Methodist Church. So, I started singing in the Methodist Choir. From the choir loft, I noticed a lithesome young thing gracefully undulating up the aisle for communion. I recognized her as my old neighbor, Pat Turner. After church, we chatted, which led to dating, and marriage.
Upon graduating from Pan American, we piled all our worldly goods into a well-worn two-wheeled trailer, covered it with a tarp, tossed our first-born in the backseat of our old Chrysler and headed to Aggieland. Two more kids appeared from somewhere, I got another degree then took a job for a couple of years at the Experiment Station in Spur, TX. Still trying to remove the High Plains dust from our teeth, we returned to A&M to begin work on another degree. After graduation, I took a job in the Entomology Department where I supervised many graduate students and taught – taking sabbatical leaves to Australia and Brazil.
After our 3 kids grew up and moved away, I took an early retirement. We bought a used motorhome, sold the house and hit the road. In the next 10 years, we wore out 2 motorhomes while Pat and I climbed a few mountains in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. A couple of years ago, we decided to settle down again, so we built a cabin in the woods near Bryan, TX. But “itchy feet” caused us to obtain a third smaller motorhome so that we can now travel or stay at home – whichever suits our fancy. When it does not interfere with goofing off, I enjoy administering the EHS Alumni and Friends web site on MyFamily.com.
It’s been a tough life, but what the heck, somebody’s got to do it!
Hobbies: Reading, travel, exploration, nature, jogging, internet and goofing off.
Memories:
Losing Face
Whereas I once thought of teachers mostly as "wardens" who kept me from enjoying nature, I have had to change my opinion -- largely because I too was a teacher for 30 years. So, I had every opportunity to serve as warden myself. Anyway, I now have only the greatest of respect for my old teachers -- except maybe for that crotchety old Mrs. Adams who taught us science in about the 6th grade. She caused me great humiliation in class for which it will be hard to find forgiveness. The humiliation I felt was not due to anything she did intentionally. But she was a little crotchety!
The problem started when Margaret Mathews tackled me during one of our tag games out in the playground. It was a cheap shot. She hit me when I wasn't looking and knocked me into the athels. When I fell, part of my face was skinned on an athel limb.
Later in class, Mrs. Adams asked out loud "Winfield, what had happened to your face."
My reply was "I dropped it." OK, so I was a little deaf and was always trying to guess teachers questions. I had just accidentally dropped my pencil on the floor so I assumed that she has asked something like "Winfield what happened to your pencil?" Anyway, when I said I had dropped my "face" the class roared in laughter. I was totally humiliated.
Had I carefully established the true cause of my humiliation, I should have directed blame on Margaret for her unsportsmanlike tackling. After all, in the 6th grade, girls were bigger, stronger and faster than most of us guys. So Margaret was just being another playground bully.
Anyway, my face red with embarrassment and humiliation, I took a peek out of the corner of my eye to see if I could find a sympathetic face. I caught Mary Jane Paull's eye. Her hands covered her mouth but she was shaking all over and giggling uncontrollably. Jerry Kaml was laughing out loud -- tears streaming from his eyes. But then there was Margaret. Ah ha! She was not laughing or giggling -- that girl showed real compassion for a classmate who was taking the brunt of this unfortunate joke. Then, to add insult to injury, Margaret too burst into laughter. She had just been momentarily out of breath between fits of laughter. Oh well! I was all alone in my agony.
That scene is so fixed in my memory that I will probably take it into my next life.
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