Premier Post--our 6th Grade McGalliard School 1953 Class photo

Our 1953 6th Grade Class Photo at the newly opened McGalliard School


We were the first students at this newly opened building. It serviced mainly kids from White Horse. It was a fancy place compared to our old De Cou School on Broad Street, or Rowan where we were bussed to for fourth grade. Green "black" boards, a phone system, one floor with two perpendicular wings, no more creaky wood floors and stairs, and all windows on one side of the room made it a bright and happy place. However, our surrounding woods got partially sacrificed, with a nice little creek that eventually became a bog at the top of Park Avenue. It soon too got developed as Bradford Avenue got connected to Arena Drive. 

Our teacher Mrs. Stackhouse was a real disciplinarian, and had her hands full with the likes of me at that point--we boys were 11 and real rapscallions. Our new school play yard was an asphalted piece of our old woods after all, and nothing turns the hearts of young boys toward romping about but the lure of the woods--kick ball couldn't compete.

Mrs. Stackhouse was a diligent teacher, and read aloud to us everyday after our wild recesses--from Dr. Doolittle, which I remember to this day, nearly 50 years later. I became an English prof, and want to encourage school teachers to read aloud to students with the kind of animated inflections that bring a story alive. I can say that severe Mrs. Stackhouse seemed transformed into a motherly presence by reading that story.

This group of us eventually joined other groups until 280 of us were graduated from Hamilton High in 1960. As an educator, I am willing to admit that we went to school during the so called "golden age" of public schooling. But contrary to some feelings today, I think we will revive public education, which benefits everyone.