Ina Mehlman:
CLASS OF 1959
Olney High SchoolClass of 1959
Philadelphia, PA
Montgomery CollegeClass of 1993
Takoma park, MD
Ina's Story
STORY WIZARD USED TO CREATE THIS:
How do I hope my old friends remember me? Never thought about it. I remember having a few friends, but not many, and when I began to work after school, my social activities tanked. Guess most really wouldn't remember me. I have re-connected with a couple of friends from elementary school through this website, though, it's very nice.
Career goal in HS? I always wanted to be an English teacher. My family and friends thought that was a dumb idea. As it turns out, they were right.
My favorite way to relax is simply to go to sleep. Sleep, I've found, is curative for what ails you, and even helps to solve problems because you wake up with an answer that you hadn't thought of before.
What's the wildest thing I ever did in school? I sang a solo in front of a full auditorium. It was "Summertime," and I was so nervous all the way through I wasn't ever aware of what I was singing. A couple of people told me afterward that it was good, but I remember only that I was introduced, nothing after that.
Did I have a hero? Back then, my hero was the girl who gave up her bonus for bringing me into the Marinello School of Cosmetology (after Olney graduation), so I could use it for my registration fee. $25.00 was a lot of money back then, and without that girl's generosity, I couldn't have attained my hairdressing license.
Where have I lived? Why did I move? I lived in Philly, mostly in the Northeast, until I was divorced, then was remarried to a man from Washington, DC. We had our wedding in DC, then moved to Kemp Mill, a small community in Silver Spring, Maryland. He passed away, but I still live in Kemp Mill.
The one person from my past who I'd most like to see again is - Elaine Goldstein, because she was my best friend in Olney. We spent a week in Miami after graduation. I did her hair a couple of times a day for her while we were there. It was my first time ever on a real vacation.
Share my obsessions: I don't obsess about much, but I do have 3 cats, all rescues. I don't like cruelty in any form, so I guess, if I could, I'd rescue anyone or anything that needed it. Mostly, since that's impossible, I try to surround myself with only positive vibes, no shoot-'em-up movies, or dwelling on nasty news on TV, etc. It might be a bit like "Pollyanna," but at my age, I've earned it.
What's been the biggest surprise of my life? I've had two: Having two daughters - after growing up with three brothers, it was my prayer to have girls, and I did. Then, later, finding and marrying the most amazing man when I was in my 40's. He made up for all the bad stuff that came before and after him (sadly, he passed in 1984).
If I could improve my home: I'd simply buy a new house somewhere with nice weather and no taxes.
What have I learned from my kids? I've learned how to accept without judging, to love without questions, to be there no matter what, to expect nothing in return, and to be grateful for all that I receive, even when it's not what I wanted.
Which teacher would I love to see again? Why? I had no favorite teachers, though I do remember some more than others. There was one coach for the JV swim team that I was on for a short time who was very nice, but I don't remember her name. I used to do her hair after practice. I kind of thought that was how I got on the team, but I learned a lot of swim strokes. Had to quit when the winter came because of getting sick (going from the warm chlorinated indoor pool out to the cold windy winter gave me really bad chest colds). In later years, I found out I am sensitive to chlorine, it gives me "activity induced asthma" bouts to swim in chlorinated water.
If I won $100 million: I'd give most of it to taxes, then spend the rest on my kids, my grand kids and myself. I'm no fool -- if I name a charity here, they'll bombard me with marketing!
Ever live in a dorm? Join the Greek system? Talk about campus life: My college life came 30 years after Olney, when I was doing research on financial aid for my youngest. Several sources offered more financial aid to me than to my daughter because I was widowed. I took the offers and went back to school. I never lived in a dorm, the school was not that far from home; but within the first few weeks I made Phi Theta Kappa and kept it through to the end, graduating with honors.
To be happy, I would be where, doing what, with whom? Aside from wanting a house (I don't like living in a condo), I would like to be fully retired, and spend time as often as I could with kids and grand kids, in different parts of the country. Of course, reality sets in, and I realize I will be working the rest of my life to try to make ends meet.
What did I think about people my age when I was 12? My current age is 69. When I was 12, I thought that people my age now would be dead. I was so completely naive.
My career aspirations are: I finally found some inner peace by dropping all career aspirations. Seems simple enough, but a lot more easily said than done.
What happened to my first crush? Had a call from him all the way from Chattanooga, Tennessee when I was in Olney. Since he'd been a problem for my parents (we were both about 14 during that "crush"), I didn't accept his request for me to join him for a big weekend at Annapolis or West Po...Expand for more
int, don't remember which. Never heard from him again, later learned my parents would not have objected; but it was too late to follow up. I sometimes wonder "what if."
My best friends would tell you: I'm smart and interesting and funny, but people who don't know me very well would probably describe me as aloof.
The styles of the 50's and 60's were great when I was a skinny teen, but with the years came pounds, so I dress for comfort and to look slimmer than I am. If I could live in jeans and T-shirts, I would. Dressing for work, at least slacks are allowed, not like in Olney when girls had to hide their slacks in the locker, even on the coldest winter days when we wore them under our skirts to keep warm at the bus stop.
What's the weirdest job I ever had? I worked for a catering place that was owned by two people, a youngish man (the chef) and an older woman (the "brains"). They fought constantly and loudly, slamming doors, throwing pans, very nasty. On top of that, the woman, who did the scheduling and bookwork and menus, did not like computers. As a computer nerd, I set up all the serving staff, catering dates, etc. in orderly fashion to be tracked in the computer. For that terrible breach (I'm not big on bits of paper notes that get lost), I ultimately was fired from the job. I still have a recording on my answering machine of one of the owner-to-owner arguments - I dialed my home phone and let the machine pick up and recorded what was happening. People can be very nuts.
With whom do I share my home? I share my home with 3 cats, which I find to be very loving and fun. All my cats are rescues. I find it heart wrenching to see so many innocent creatures that are mistreated and abused all over our earth and in our water. My joy in my cats is tempered by a sadness at the pervasive cruelty in this world.
Got trophies on your mantel? Share a big victory: I actually got an award for being a matchmaker. After being widowed, it took me a few years to get a new social life (married couples don't like widows, widowers are ok, but not widows). There was a singles organization that was inactive because it had no leader, so I took charge of it, and in the process of having "mixer" events, ended up with a couple of matches that got married, thus earning me the "trophy" (a plaque from a well-known matchmaker).
You get one do-over. What do you do differently? Nothing. Every step leads to another step, and I wouldn't want to mess the good things up. I've tried to think of some way I could have kept my house and not sold it to buy a cheaper condo, but then I wouldn't have been able to buy a second condo for my daughter to live independently when she needed it, and be living only one floor away to help her when she had health problems. Retracing steps through a maze, like trying to rethink our lives, takes us nowhere that we didn't already go. I guess I just don't believe in do-overs.
What do I want to be doing in 10 years? I can't think about it. Survival is so demanding, that making it through each cycle of income and bills is as far as I can plan.
Talk about your oldest friend, how you met and why you clicked: Through Classmates, I heard from someone from my elementary school. We used to play Monopoly with another couple of girls when we were in 6th grade. I liked that we could all get together every day, right around the corner from where I lived, and that we could be friends without anyone being mean to anyone else. It was nice. We now communicate from time to time by email; and it's still nice. I guess she's my "oldest friend" but I have friends whose age is older...
What about you would surprise everyone at your high school reunion? The most surprising is that I was skinny and tall, now I'm overweight and a lot shorter - seems some of us telescope down with age, sort of like Alice in Wonderland, only not in proportion. I clearly remember my elderly maternal grandmother; sometimes, a reflection of myself will take me by surprise as I pass a mirror and see her instead of me. Genetics can be very powerful.
My first job: Babysitting from age 11, then, at about 16, I worked the candy counter at the Esquire Movie Theater on Broad Street near Olney Avenue, where I got paid $.50 an hour. What I remember most about it is the free buttered popcorn. I'd buy one soda cup (to put the popcorn in) to last the evening. I thought the ushers were cute, too.
Share a childhood memory you'll never forget: When I was in about 2nd or 3rd grade, the school had a costume party. At that time, a popular Sunday comic strip was "L'il Abner." My mom, being very creative, decided to make me a costume based on that comic strip. Would you believe she dressed me as a "Shmoo"? For those of a younger generation (after the demise of Al Capp and his unforgettable humor), the shmoo was a small white amorphous animal that would become whatever people needed it to be, which in "Dogpatch" (L'il Abner's home town) was generally a ham or pile of biscuits or some such suicidal (for the shmoo) delicacy. Fortunately for me, most everyone thought I was a ghost, which relieved much of my embarrassment.
I'd love to hear from anyone who recognizes times, places, people from these musings.
Ina [Ginsburg] Mehlman
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