David Wray:  

I was born in Kansas City and lived in that area until age 4. In the summer, before kindergarten started, we moved to Adair, Iowa. During my school years including college, our family moved several times. My Dad would get an opportunity to make more money teaching at a different school. 1. I went to kindergarten in Adair, Iowa for 1/2 a year. 2. I went to Casey, Iowa from K-4th grade. 3. 5th-8th in Treynor, IA. 4. 9th grade in Tonganoxie, Kansas. 5. 10th & 11th grade I went to Orange HS, in Waterloo, IA. 6. At the conclusion of my Junior year, Orange HS closed down, and an all-new HS was started called Central High in Waterloo(and several years later Central HS closed). Starting with Adair, we lived on a farm, living out in the country for the first time in my life. It was wonderful. The farm we moved to in Adair still had an old-fashioned wall phone made of wood and Bakelite. Halfway thru kindergarten, we moved to the town of Casey. Casey was a true Mayberry in many ways, lovely. The main street was made of bricks. Casey had the six o'clock whistle every evening. Everything was closed on Sundays. We seldom locked our doors. I had a paper route. A dollar coin was made still made of silver. In Casey, we walked about 4 blocks to the elementary school which was grades K-6th. There were 21-22 kids in my kindergarten class. The school had a large cast iron bell that rang every morning to announce school was starting. My parents and everyone's parents let the kids play, run, and bicycle all over town without worrying if we would be abducted. If I did do something out of the ordinary or mischievous my parents would know about it before I got home. Treynor was excellent in many areas and I have some of my best memories from there. In part because of my family, friends, and the times, as they were. 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. In a perfect world, that can be a pretty innocent, carefree, and exciting time of life no matter where you live. I do think Treynor was a special place, at least it was for me and everyone in my family. I made some wonderful friends there and was sad to move. The principal of the school, Urb Langer was my Godfather, at my confirmation which was back in Casey where he taught before...Expand for more