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A Columbia County Boy's Recollections and Memories of Columbia County Florida (2012) Lenvil H. Dicks

graduated from school the year before, so the members of the John Dicks family who started attending
uptown school that year were Opal, Fay, me, and 5 years later of course Rodney. I recall Grandpa Tyre
owned and drove the school bus.

As I went through school I managed to make good grades, being on the honor roll almost every grading
period, and was elected President of my homeroom class every year until I became a senior. When the
class presidency election was held my senior year I was beat out by my very close and good friend,
Linwood Colson, and I was relegated to the office of Vice President.

Shortly after that, Linwood entered the Navy prior to his graduation and I became the heir to the job of
Class President anyway.

A great many of the boys my age had already left school early to join the military service in World War
II, and consequently there were not but about 6 or 8 boys who actually attended our graduation
ceremonies that year. As I recall some of them, and probably will leave some out, there was Tommy
Howard, Claudie Johns, Mike Kennon, Bill Carter, Sanders Bradshaw, Marvin Burnett and Carl Moore.

I had an especially pleasant Senior year, due to the fact that I was the only boy in the National Honor
Society, the rest of course all being girls. Naturally I tried to see that we had very regular and frequent
meetings.

Speaking of Mike Kennon, Mike and I were both born on September 10, 1928, and each year we try to
th
see who can pick up the phone the earliest, sometimes as early as 5 a.m., on September 10 to wish the
other one a happy birthday. Also, we had agreed whichever one of us dies first, the other will do the
eulogy for him at his funeral. It is certainly heartwarming to still have friends that I first made in 1934,
some 78 years ago. We graduated in the spring of 1946, and even unto this day we still have a Class
Meeting for lunch once every 3 months. Our attendance at these luncheon meetings is usually between
15 and 18, some of the ones who still get together from a Class of 1946 are Mike and Marie Kennon
who were childhood sweethearts and have been married for over 60 years, Doris Witt Touchton, Dot
Witt Steedley, Thelma Carol, Jane Newton Smith, Sanders Bradshaw, (up until his death in March of
2012, earlier this year,) Bill Carter, Ralph Norris, Tommy Howard. We even had 2 of our former
teachers who usually attend, namely Marge (Mrs. Roy) Brown, and Bessie Rumph Hiers Lux. Since all
of us of The Class of 1946 are in our mid 80’s, we will not embarrass these 2 ladies by reminding them
how old they simply must have to be. But both are in good health, still have a good sense of humor,
know what’s going on, and they are a delight to be around.

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