September 2003                                The Megaphone                                              Page 3

The Summer of '58

by Craig Toensing '55

  Julie's account of visiting the state fair brought back memories of perhaps my most memorable summer.

   In '58 it was a hard time for crops. The pea pack and cherry packs were busts. The Can, which was such a wonderful resource for those of us needing summer employment, hired very few that year. I was raised, third grade through junior year, on the north side of Indianapolis. All of the fond memories I read about folks having in Elwood I had also but there. 

   As youngsters we spent a lot of time year round at the fair grounds. We would ride our bikes to it and play in the buildings, climb the fire tower, sit and watch a farrier shoe the trotters and pacers that were stabled there year round. No one bothered us, maybe because no one could catch us, and we caused no bother. Gib Schuck and I were in the summer before our senior year at IU in '58 and we needed a job. We drove down to the fairgrounds and were hired to work from the end of June through the fair. 

   There is a large room atop the draft horse barn probably at least 20 x 50 yards. It contains at least 200 metal beds and is a dorm for exhibiting farm lads who have animals at the fair. Gib and I were set up in that dorm occupying two beds with the remaining 198  empty awaiting the start of the fair. Our jobs in the weeks leading up to the fair were of a security nature. I manned the main gate on 38th street and Gib had the one on the east side of the grounds on Fall Creek Blvd. We had many adventures. Some Indianapolis teen babes came in the gate one day. I don't know if it was because of my charm or Gib's gruffness but we convinced them to deliver breakfast bedside to us for a couple of weeks. Some new car dealers were storing new cars in a field on the north side of the grounds and we would patrol that area at night. 

   We were joined at night by "Jumping" Johnny Wilson. The three of us would sit on car hoods and Johnny would entertain us for hours telling us of his days with the Harlem Globetrotters. One night I found a bowling ball. More about that later. Once the fair started, in late August, more guys were hired. There were about 30 new white Oldsmobile convertibles that were being used for various promotions.30 of us drove them in a downtown parade with a "Miss Something" candidate sitting up on the back of each car. We thought we were hot stuff. Once the fair started we shared our dorm with about 198 farm lads. The floor was concrete and there were two wooden doors that closed together at each end. Gib and I went out to celebrate Labor Day at the end of work that day. I think we were a little too celebratory. 

   We got back to the dorm and all of the lads were in bed asleep. I took the bowling ball to one end of the dorm and bowled it the length of the room on the concrete floor to where it crashed open the wooden doors. If you haven't seen 198 farm lads shoot straight up in the air from a sound sleep you are really missing something. During the fair Gib and I each were the supervisors of our gates. One day I was at my gate and heard footsteps of someone running. I looked up to see an attractive young gal come running through the gate. It was her way to get in without paying. Little did she know there was an IU trackman on the case. I set off in pursuit and must say it was a fun catch. Let me close by saying it was a lot more fun than working at the "Can."
         

Craig Toensing '55

The Class Reunion

*I received this from a former student of mine from Noblesville High School. Having attended three class reunions of former students so far, perhaps there is some truth, although I think it is grossly exaggerated!!!!!!

    
Dick Dellinger, '54 in Noblesville

THE CLASS REUNION

     
Every ten years, as summertime nears,
An announcement arrives in the mail,
A reunion is planned; it'll be really grand;
Make plans to attend without fail.

I'll never forget the first time we met;
We tried so hard to impress.
We drove fancy cars, smoked big cigars,
And wore our most elegant dress.

It was quite an affair; the whole class was there.
It was held at a fancy hotel.
We wined, and we dined, and we acted refined,
And everyone thought it was swell.

The men all conversed about who had been first
To achieve great fortune and fame.
Meanwhile, their spouses described their fine houses
And how beautiful their children became.

The homecoming queen, who once had been lean,
Now weighed in at one-ninety-six.
The jocks who were there had all lost their hair,
And the cheerleaders could no longer do kicks.

No one had heard about the class nerd
Who'd guided a spacecraft to the moon;
Or poor little Jane, who's always been plain;
She married a shipping tycoon.

The boy we'd decreed "most apt to succeed"
Was serving ten years in the pen,
While the one voted "least" now was a priest;
Just shows you can be wrong now and then.

They awarded a prize to one of the guys
Who seemed to have aged the least.
Another was given to the grad who had driven
The farthest to attend the feast.

They took a class picture, a curious mixture
Of beehives, crew cuts and wide ties.
Tall, short, or skinny, the style was the mini;
You never saw so many thighs.

At our next get-together, no one cared whether
They impressed their classmates or not.
The mood was informal, a whole lot more normal;
By this time we'd all gone to pot.

It was held out-of-doors, at the lake shores;
We ate hamburgers, coleslaw, and beans.
Then most of us lay around in the shade,
in our comfortable T-shirts and jeans.

By the fortieth year, it was abundantly clear,
We were definitely over the hill.
Those who weren't dead had to crawl out of bed,
And be home in time for their pill.

And now I can't wait as they've set the date;
Our sixtieth is coming, I'm told.
It should be a ball, they've rented a hall
At the Shady Rest Home for the old.

Repairs have been made on my old hearing aid;
My pacemaker's been turned up on high.
My wheelchair is oiled, and my teeth have been boiled;
And I've bought a new wig and glass eye.

I'm feeling quite hearty; I'm ready to party,
I'll dance until dawn's early light.
It'll be lots of fun; and I hope at least one
Other person can make it that night.