1968

This is a memorable year for a number of reasons.

1) In June, I graduated 8th grade at St. Agnes Grade School in Milwaukee. I left there an average student, with better than average grades but nothing too memorable, and a bunch of friends.

2) We bought a house in Brown Deer, finally leaving the crowded lower flat that we rented from my Grandma Pearson. We had 7 people in a 2 bedroom dwelling. Mary/myself/Liz in one bedroom. Liz was only 6 and shared a double bed with Mary. Kevin, 4 and Elaine, 2 had the other bedroom. She was in a crib and he, a small twin bed. My parents slept on a hide-a-bed in the living room. The new house had 3 bedrooms and my parents actually had a room with a door and privacy and windows. We were forced to live for a few weeks with my Grandpa Golla when the residents of our new house were not ready to vacate when they were supposed to. My Grandpa was not excited about 5 children living in his house. Part of this was because my Aunt Margaret and Uncle John lived on the same property in a separate house with their 4 boys. Grandma Golla was the one who doted on all her grandchildren, having us over regularly and playing and loving us often. Grandpa tolerated our visits because he would have done anything for Grandma.When she died, so did the visits, dinners and fun.  Grandpa could barely stand my cousins and add 5 more children of various ages...it's no wonder the man didn't live too long after that.

3) in late August, I started as a freshman at Madonna High School, 6680 N Teutonia in Milwaukee. I say the address because anyone familiar with that area will see that building as the safety academy in Milwaukee for training our police and fire departments. The school was much closer to our new house. When Mary Beth started in 1967 she had to ride the city bus from our house in Milwaukee to the school. Now that we were suburbanites, we took a school bus that stopped on the corner and picked us up. Ah, the privilege of the suburbs!

4) in October, I turned 14 - nothing memorable about that, but I did want to have an extra event on the list.

This starts my new series of blogs that will be about being in and surviving high school. 4 years of things that will never be recorded in history or seen as memorable by anyone except me... but I will share so you see that the stuff you remember as boring and mundane just may be a star in the firmament of  "Margaret's High School Years."
                                                                              .to be continued.....................................