Theodore Acker:  

FOR THOSE WHO CROSSED PATHS WITH ME, GUESS I'LL START WITH MY FIRST CRUSH, DIANE SOFLIN, PORT HURON HIGH'S AND/OR NORTHERN HIGH'S FOOTBALL COACH'S DAUGHTER. ATTENDED P. H. HIGH'S AFTERNOON CLASSES SEPT. THRU DEC. 1962. PORT HURON NORTHERN WASN'T BUILT YET, SO ANYONE LIVING SOUTH OF DOWNTOWN PORT HURON HAD TO GO TO PH HIGH IN THE AFTERNOON. MOST OF MY CHILDHOOD FRIENDS I GREW UP WITH, LIVED IN THE NORTH SIDE OF TOWN AND I MISSED THEM DEARLY, BECAUSE THEY ALL WERE BUSED HOME FROM THEIR MORNING CLASSES BEFORE I GOT TO SCHOOL. HAD MY EYE ON MARYANN PICKLEHAUPT IN 4 TH GRADE THRU 6TH AT FILLMORE, BUT THAT WAS MY BESTFRIEND [TOM ZEPLZAUER] GIRLFRIEND AND BESIDES SHE DIDN'T PLAY BASEBALL, SO I STAYED AWAY FROM HER EXCEPT FOR AN OCCASIONAL TEETERTAUGHTER OR SWINGSET DATE WHEN TOM WASN'T AROUND. THEN ONTO GARFIELD FOR 7TH GRADE AND THE GIRLS OVER THERE WERE GROWED UP, ESPECIALLY PAULA CROOKER. MY FIRST AND ONLY DATE WITH PAULA ENDED WHEN SOME COLLEGE KID FROM SC4 KNOCKED ME DOWN AND TOOK PAULA AWAY FROM ME AT THE ROLLER RINK. THEN WE MOVED SOUTH OF TOWN, ACROSS THE STREET FROM WASHINGTON JR HIGH FOR 8TH & 9TH GRADE. THERE I MEANT JENNY ROSSOW AND SHE TRIED TO TEACH ME HOW TO DANCE. BUT AGAIN, A BULLY TOOK HER AWAY FROM ME AT A HAYRIDE I TOOK HER ON. WHITE PARK SEPARATED ME FROM MY NEW BESTFRIEND'S, JERRY & JIM WEAVER. THEIR FATHER SPONSORED A BRAND NEW BABE RUTH BASEBALL TEAM, LEATH FURNITURE, AND NOT TO BOAST TOO MUCH THEY GOT ME ON THAT TEAM AND I WAS THE STAR LEFTFIELDER ONTO PH HIGH IN SEPT 1962 I MADE SHORT APPEARANCES ON JV BASKETBALL AND WRESTLING TEAMS. PLAYED ICE HOCKEY AND BASEBALL GROWING UP IN PORT HURON. MY BEST FRIEND WAS/IS TOM ZEPLZAUER, SINCE 4TH. GRADE AT FILLMORE. WE WERE LIKE BROTHERS, EVEN CLOSER THAN I WAS TO MY OWN BROTHERS. OUR RELATIONSHIP GOT STRAINED IN THE SUMMER OF 1962 WHEN I WENT LOOKING FOR TOM TO PLAY BASEBALL AT GARFIELD. I FOUND HIM AT HIS GIRLFRIEND'S HOUSE ACROSS THE STREET FROM GARFIELD. HIS GIRLFRIEND WAS DIANNE SOFLIN. DO YOU GET MY DRIFT, IF NOT LOOK BACK TO THE FIRST PARAGRAPH OF MY STORY. LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT?? I DON'T KNOW BUT I TRIED TO STAY ON MY SIDE OF TOWN AND AWAY FROM MY BESTFRIEND'S GIRLFRIEND, CAUSE I KNEW IF I DIDN'T I WOULD HAVE TO SOMEDAY CHOOSE BETWEEN A FRIEND AND SOMEONE I WAS CRAZY ABOUT AT FIRST GLANCE. ONE THING LEAD TO ANOTHER AND I LOST MY FRIEND TOM. THEN SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAPPENED, MY FATHER WAS PROMOTED IN HIS JOB AND WE HAD TO MOVE TO FLORIDA. MY LAST DATE WITH DIANNE WAS A TEAR JERKING DANCE AT THE YMCA THE NIGHT BEFORE THE FAMILY MOVE TO FLORIDA. MOVED TO BRADENTON, FL. NEW YEAR'S DAY 1963. FIRST AND ONLY LOVE WHILE ATTENDING SOUTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL WAS CAROLEE JO TURNER. SHE CHASED ME AROUND FROM CLASS TO CLASS AND BASEBALL PRACTICE, UNTILL SHE FINALLY CAUGHT ME WHEN MY LOVE LETTERS FROM DIANNE SLOWED TO A CRAWL AND TOM WROTE ME THAT HIM AND DIANNE WERE BACK TOGETHER. I PLAYED FOOTBALL AND BASEBALL FOR SOUTHEAST H. S. MAX ARHRENT WAS MY BEST FRIEND. JOHN AND JANE [THE BODY] DREW FROM LONG ISLAND, MOVED INTO MY NEIGHBORHOOD SUMMER 1963 AND I SPENT MOST OF IT TRYING TO LOSE MY VIRGINITY WITH THE BODY. MY TEACHERS WOULD GRADE ME INCOMPLETE ON THAT FUTILE ATTEMPT. BESIDES, JO TURNER WAS TRYING HER BEST TO BREAK MY CHERRY. MY OLD MAN KEPT SUCH A GOOD WATCH ON ME THAT HE TOOK ME AND MY BROTHER CHRIS ON A TRIP TO LAKELAND THE DAY AFTER OUR SISTERS CAUGHT US UPSTAIRS IN THE LATTER STAGES OF A STRIP POKER GAME WITH JENNY FROM DOWN THE STREET. THAT TRIP WAS MY FIRST BIRDS & BEES LESSON FROM DAD WHICH INCLUDED HIM GIVING US OUR FIRST CONDOM AND THREAT TO USE IT IF THE NEED EVER CAME. THEN ANOTHER TRAGIC MOMENT, MY DAD GOT PROMOTED AGAIN AND WE HAD TO MOVE TO PENNSYLVANIA. MY FINAL NIGHT WITH JO WAS IN A DOWNTOWN HOTEL IN BRAEDENTON PLAYING SPIN THE BOTTLE WITH ME, JO, MAX, AND MY TWO OLDEST SISTERS. OFF TO PA., ARRIVED ON THE DAY JFK WAS ASSASINATED IN DALLAS NOV. 22, 1963. ATTENDED HOLLIDAYSBURG HIGH SCHOOL THRU GRADUATION IN JUNE 1965. MY ONLY LOVE WAS PATTI DEDEA, MAY 1964 THRU MAY 1 ST.,1966. DIDN'T MEET PATTI UNTILL THE DAY AFTER I GOT A "DEAR JOHN" LETTER FROM JO IN FLORIDA. I WANTED TO MARRY PATTI TERRIBLY, BUT WITH THE VIET NAM GOING STRONG AND HER NOT WANTING TO BE A WIDOW, WE AGREED I WOULD VOLUNTEER FOR THE DRAFT AFTER GRADUATION AND IF I MADE IT BACK ALIVE, WE WOULD GET MARRIED. WELL THAT DIDN'T WORK OUT, WHICH IS ANOTHER STORY IN ITSELF. TO THIS DAY, SHE AND I ARE GOOD FRIENDS. I ...Expand for more