The 1956 Class at Maple Shade School--8th Grade

Our expanded 8th grade class at old Maple Shade School on White Horse Avenue in 1956.

Maple Shade is now demolished (as are DeCou and Rowan); my father went there (1920?) and had our Principal Ms. Zapf as a teacher. Our delightful teachers signed the photo on the bottom border, and we signed the back, some with nicknames.

Maple Shade's floors and stairs were wood and squeaky, and the basement where we had the cafeteria and our dances had an interior cave part that was whitewashed. Some how we had gym in that area on rainy days. The play yard had an iron and chain Giant Stride that could have easily killed you and a deep field for baseball, hockey, and soccer. Mr. Ricardi would compliment any student when you let a bad pitch pass: "Good Eye!" he would shout, as if the point of baseball was to notice where the pitches were. 

 Some of the girls think they look nerdy--we boys loved you all--but there are intimations of our growing awareness of the coming storm of adolescence. Can you spot two bow ties--what could they mean? We're all dressed up with suits and dresses and no wild hair, or nose rings. We are aspiring members of the Post WWII middle class, with a future as bright as we could make it, particularly for the boys. We are not Baby Boomers--we were born during the war and so we are called "war babies" and later the "silent generation" or the Eisenhower generation. We are 38 million strong and represent 14% of US population, approximately half the number of Baby Boomers. We're now retired seniors (most of us) and represent the big clients of Social Security and Medicare.

Who woulda thought?