Ricky Carpenter:
CLASS OF 1956
Mayfield Elementary SchoolClass of 1956
Palo alto, CA
Ricky's Story
My family moved to Palo Alto (Stanford Avenue), a few blocks from Peers Park, in 1952 from Silversprings Maryland. We drove cross country in our '52 2 door Plymouth Sedan. Our dog "Blackie" came with us. My brother Craig who was 10 at the time, and me, Ricky who was 7 at the time, registered to attend Mayfield Elementary School. After my brother graduated from Mayfield, he went to Wilbur Junior High School. I stayed at Mayfield and graduated in 1956. In 1955, my father bought a new subdivision home on Edgewood Drive in Palo Alto, which put me in the the Jordan Junior High School district. All my friends from Mayfield were going to Wilbur, except me, I was going to Jordan. Mr. Bruno Humasti was one of the 6th grade teachers along with Mr. Wise. None of the students wanted Mr. Humasti but they all wanted Mr. Wise. That's because Mr. Wise was a kind and fun teacher. Mr. Humasti was meaner and very serious. Well I was assigned Mr. Humasti because he lived 2 blocks from my new home and I was going to ride to school and home with him every day. Boy did that sound like a lot of fun, NOT! Anyway, long story short, Mr. Humasti was the kindest most gentlest masn I had ever met. I didn't know at the time that he was dying from cancer and he kept it a secret. I loved that man. I got to know him from all the time we spent together, and I have tears in my eyes today because I still miss him and I'll never forget him and his magnanimous generosity. Mrs. Humasti was an Angel herself. So I spent three torcherous years at Jordan Junior High School. Worst school I have every attended.I probably should have played more sports than I did (only basketball), because I was a better athlete than most of the kids going there. In 7th grade I had a teacher for 4th, 5th, & 6th grade, Mr.Cooley. What an awful person he was! Whenever I did po...Expand for more
orly on a test, which was often, he would call me up in front of the whole class and let me know and everyone else in the class know how bad I did. "Well I see Mr. Carpenter that you got an F on this test"! He wanted to make me feel as bad as I possible could feel. He did a pretty good job I think I missed more school than I attended that year. Mr. Cooley made me feel like an outcast and did absolutely nothing to encourage me to improve. What an awful teacher. One day I was asked to report to a certain room number for my new class. Ok, maybe an improement. I went up to the door, peeked through the window. The name written on the door was Fosdick and DuBerry. It was a class for the short bus kids. No thanks! Not only did I not go in, I went to the Library for the remainder of the year and no one said anything to me or tried to stop me. Oh well, I was happy! My counselor, Mrs. Lawrence called me in to her office and explained that I could finish the rest of the school year there and move on to Palo Alto High School. Things were starting to look up for me and I was pretty happy so far. There just never was a fit for me a Jordan. When I got to Paly, I was
asked to come back to Jordan and speak in the school auditorium to the students about playing basketball at Jordan at maintaining good sportsmenship and keeping your grades up. The basketball coach at Jordan, can't think
of his name right now, but he was a very fine gentlemen and a fair coach, asked me to speak to the students because I guess he thoughtI had a good attitude and always played fairly. It went well. Kind of an oximoron because I disliked the school so much yet coach liked me and I was a pretty good player.At Paly I played on the "B"
team because of my size. Not very big. I grew 6 inches in my Jr. year and started on the Varsity team.
(To Be Continued)
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