The following memories were sent to me by a classmate from dear ole West Point High. She requested anonymity but I bet you can guess who.
She wrote:
“As we remember those we love at Valentine’s Day, I think it would be fun to think back all those years to Valentine’s Day in West Point in the 50’s and 60’s!
How excited we would be on Valentine’s Day at school. I remember reading each card and “taking to heart” what each card said! How innocent we were! I kept the cards all year until the next year, and reread them several times during the year! I don’t remember Valentine’s Day parties, but I am sure we celebrated with a cookie or something in school. I do remember that it was a highly anticipated day!
I will share one of my earliest Valentine Day memories…..
In third or fourth grade at East Side Elementary, all of us girls would listen each evening to a “call in” program on WROB! Waiting and waiting for a song to be dedicated to us! After many evenings of waiting, finally the moment came for me! Albert Rhea dedicated “Catch a Falling Star” to me one starry night! I was sooo excited! And for Valentines’ Day that year (I think it must have been around that same time because we changed “boy friends” often), he gave me a Valentine’s Day card. What was inside the card made it special to a little 9 year old girl….a lock of his curly black hair! How about that? I wish I had kept it, and it may still be in my dresser in West Point. I will look for it the next time I am in West Point!
Can’t wait to hear what you all remember from those times of long ago…..”
Her memory was all the more special since we lost Albert about 10 years ago. But I remember that curly black hair so well.
My memory was from sixth grade. I took home more than 60 valentines and remember my mother being so impressed. I never told her that everyone in 6th grade gave EVERYONE in 6th grade a Valentine. I was no more special than anyone else at East Side Elementary.
I too, listened religiously to the request line on WROB – hoping Tinker would dedicate a
Okay, kids from the Point or anywhere else, fess up. Give us your best memory.
Linda Hazlewood wrote:
I didn’t have a chance to respond yesterday…..and was thinking about all our Valentine’s Days on the way to work today. We really had some special ones, didn’t we? I remember comparing valentines with Olivia…..seeing what Eugene sent Nancy and being terrified that no one would send me one. But all my memories of West Point are so special…..thanks to all of you….
Nancy, do you remember the Saturday you and I walked across town to get Mack Miller’s autograph? I still have it somewhere…
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Norma Clark wrote:
I remember that Beth Perkins & I liked Tommy Robinson at the same time. He liked both of us too, he gave us each a box of candy for Valentine’s Day. We weren’t upset, just excited we had a pretty box of candy. He would come over to our houses after school and we had the most fun. I guess they would call it a 3some today. No jealousy what so ever, now that’s sharing!
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Nancy Manning wrote:
I remember receiving my first box of valentine’s candy from Eugene Carothers as an impressionable 7th grader! I watched him walking to my house caring the red box rimmed with white ruffled ribbon and a big centered red foil heart. I filled it with all the little notes he sent to me during the time he was my first special boyfriend! I still have it tucked away with very special treasured items I can’t seem to throw away. Hope his thoughtfulness made somebody as happy this year as he made me in 1960!
I kept most all the Valentines cards I got and i remember, mostly 5th and 6th grades, and I still have some in my scrapbooks I got in the 6th grade. and that was many years ago. today, my brother and his wife from West Point, sent me a pretty pot plant and I plan to care for it and keep it as it will last for years,and today i got a Valentine card in the mail from a cousin on the maben Mail route. You see, you never get too old to enjoy Valentines Day. Happy Valentines, Everybody.