Ruby Wenzel, Report Cards, Tony Weddel & Fountain Pens

In my last post, I mentioned that my First Grade teacher at Meadowbrook Elementary was Belle Pearson. In 1950, I was promoted to the Second Grade and my teacher turned out to be Mrs. Ruby Wenzel. An excellent teacher, friendly and very concerned about the welfare and health of her students, she was also a believer in health food supplements and, I believe she sold wheat germ in her off time. I’m not sure of that, but I seem to remember my mother picking some up from her house. She lived over on Morris Court, which is a deadend section the runs east from Oakland and winds up just behind the school playground.

I suppose I got more than my fair share of attention from my teachers because I was just a year past my major chest surgery and was puny, delicate or fragile, depending on which term you cared to use. In other words, I was the kid who…when it came time to choose up sides for any kind of games…was always the last one chosen. And in some cases, was the one that the team captains got into arguments about who was going to be forced to take on their team. Yep, kids can be very cruel. Of course, that kind of thing happened to a lot of us – still does - and somehow we survived it, becoming stronger in the process.

Of course, all kinds of things went on at Meadowbrook, as at all schools. And we drug a wide range of things home…some wanted (like class photos) and some not (like report cards). Since I still have some of each, I'm including a few photos of both so you can remember what it was like back then. Hint: Schools were not glorified prisons with police stationed at every campus and metal detectors at every door. Practically every boy (me included) carried a jacknife to play with at recess and…believe it or not…you never heard of anyone being stabbed with one. Oh, yeah, instead of crossing guards being comprised of volunteer or part-time paid adults, the kids themselves took on crossing guard duties as members of the school safety patrol. Now, on to the photos.

This Second Grade Class photo was taken on the steps of Meadowbrook Elementary School by Bill R. Cathey Photographer, 3625 Crenshaw, Ft. Worth, Texas. Photo #5-8182. Teacher of the class was, of course, Mrs. Ruby Wenzel. There are only two kids in the class that I can identify, one being yours truly, and the second one leads to an interesting story of it's own. If you’re interested, scope out the boy on the back row, fourth from the right end. That's me.

The only other kid I can identify is Walter Thomas (Tony) Weddel. He’s on the far left end of the back row. I never had anything to do with him in the Second Grade, nor he me. He was healthy and physical while I was sick, a bookworm and absent half the time. The strange thing is that we met as adults back in the late '60s and became friends (he is a superlative aviation artist, with original paintings and prints all over the world). He always had the feeling that he'd known me before but didn't know where from. I finally sent him a copy of this photo and he discovered that we were both in it. Turns out we've known each other since 1950 and didn't know it!

Quite a difference in appearances if you compare this 1950 photo to a Second Grade class photo taken today. And it's not only the appearance of the kids that'd be different. The report cards don't look anything alike either. For example, I'm including a couple of photos depicting both sides of my own report card from the First Grade (1949/1950).

I know you’ve seen these report card images in a previous post, but bear with me. I think you’ll find it interesting.


Note that this is both the front and back. The card actually opens up. And if you think the signatures of the teacher, principal and my parents look a little strange, there's a reason for it. Ballpoint pens didn't exist then. Anyone remember fountain pens that were filled with real ink and would occasionally squirt blobs of ink just where you didn't want them? Students took bottles of ink to school and refilled the internal bladder by sticking the pen nib into the ink and then working a little metal lever on the side of the pen to suck the ink into the bladder. If you've never used a real fountain pen, you don't know what you've missed, including ink stains in the bottom of your shirt pocket because the pen sprung a leak.

You've only seen the outside of the report card. Now let's look inside.

Take a look at what they graded you on. Handwriting…Art…Health. And one entire half of the card devoted to Citizenship! This section covered everything from Courtesy (!) to Self-Reliance (?). You also see why I was the reject in the class. Take a look at my attendance. Out of 205 days, I was only in class for 85 (and I left early due to illness one of those) and out sick for 120. Today, between missing that much class time and the fact that I was skinny as a rail and couldn't gain weight if you handed me an anvil, the Child Protective Services would be investigating my parents for suspected child abuse! As I've said before, some of the changes we've experienced of late have been anything but good.