Charles "Chuck" Nash:
CLASS OF 1968
Grape Creek Elementary SchoolClass of 1968
Westville, IL
Charles "Chuck"'s Story
Life
I was a member of the class that WOULD have graduated in 1968, but was only in 7th grade when they closed the school and moved us into Westville Junior High.
If you recall, in the fall of '67 when we were bussed to Westville schools, the Junior High was not big enough to accommodate the additional students from several small schools that closed at the same time (I remember Union Corner being one of them, but not sure which others were closed then.). By moving us all to the Junior High, they had to split the day in half. Half of the students attended classes from 8:00 to 12:00 and the other half (my half) attended classes from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m..
After graduation from Westville High School, I went to Illinois College in Jacksonville for my Bachelors' Degree in Speech/Drama, with a minor in English. My sophomore year in college, I started working at the Illinois School for the Deaf to help pay for college. Originally, I was planning to be a teacher, but after the experience in the residential program at the Deaf School, I decided that was where I wanted to be. I worked at ISD from age 19 until I retired in December of 2006 at age 52.
I'm now living the life of Riley (those of you in my age group will understand the reference to that TV show!) just doing whatever I feel like doing. I'm enjoying the retired life immensely.
I don't get back to Grape Creek very often and usually when I do, it is only for a short family visit and I return home. I feel privileged to have grown up in a small community like Grape Creek. I am convinced that those of us who grew up there were able to be part of an era that can no longer be replicated.
Do any of you have any pictures of the old Grade School?
Of the many pictures I have, I do not have any of the school building. If any of you have pictures, it would be great for you to post them on here or if you could e-mail them to me, I would be very appreciative!
My 1st, 2nd and 3rd ...Expand for more
grade teacher was Mrs. Houston. I'm not sure if it is because she was my FIRST teacher that she holds such a special place in my heart, but I know that I thought the world of her. Remember the goose eggs she used to decorate and display on an "Easter Egg Tree?" I also remember a lot of decorations that I believe came from a donation by Jackie Copas when she worked for Tee-Pak.
I'm not sure which school years were with Mrs. Stickrod and which were with Mr. Dickerson. I have to say Mrs. Stickrod is probably the one who was instrumental in developing my hand-writing. (She used to make me stay inside at recess and lunch time to "practice" my writing because it was so bad.)
I don't remember much about Mr. Dickerson, except that he was known to go down to Rosie's occasionally at lunch time, which sometimes lead him to an afternoon nap. He also drove a Corvair and played the piano some.
Remember the old, round tube for a fire escape? Many a pair of pants got ripped during the drills! (And it was certainly a challenge to run up from the ground to the top!)
I was especially fond of the chilli and bread and butter sandwiches. Remember?
The memories of the school, the Christmas pageants in the "auditorium" room, the annual picnics at Douglas Park, my teachers, the community of friends certainly are at the root of who I am. Grape Creek Baptist also played a large role in making us the cohesive community that we were back then. Remember the wiener roasts back at Stines'? Ice skating in the "back waters" over by the old Kyger Mill? I remember exploring the woods and an occasional mine shaft. I don't think there are many other places that had as many grape vines! Many of us spent time swinging (and a couple falling when the vines broke!), riding horses and playing in the creek, walking the old railroad tracks as the shortcut to get to the school.
Those were the days! I hope you all have as many good memories there as I do.
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