Photo from the collection of Tom R White (used with permission)
The old Holley School may only be a memory, but it’s a good one!!!! I can still hear the old school bus coming across the river bridge to pick me and my brothers and sisters up. We stood by the old Rt.1 Box 3 mailbox waiting for it to stop. It was such a joy to get on the bus and see all our friends that had already been picked up. Like Paulette Braswell, Jill Young, Carolyn Mc Mahon, and Carol Barnard. We had so much fun talking and laughing on the bus.
We went all through Holley picking up friends: Audrey Harvell and her brothers, the Mills girls (they were such a joy to be around), and Jewell Rollo (our dear buddy). She would make it ever so special to ride the bus. She was a special cousin!!! The Caylor girls. Pasty and I were close. We went to church together, as well as Audrey and some of the others. When we arrived at school we had a big swing set to swing on with monkey bars and a see-saw. We got to play until the bell would ring and that’s when everyone ran to get to class. We had about 120 in school and there were 4 classrooms with 2 grades in each classroom.
I think I can name most of my teachers. 1st and 2nd Grade was Miss Sarah Stamps. I just loved her!!! 3rd and 4th Mrs. Bengiman (not sure how it was spelled) wasn’t my favorite. She was too old I thought to teach. 5th and 6th Mr. Trantham (I’ll never forget him). He was something else. I always gave him my milk at lunch because I hated milk and still do to this day!! And then came 7th and 8th grade and I think all the girls fell in love with our 8th grade Principal Mr. Bradley. He was such a sweet and nice looking man, but also had a beautiful wife whom I adored and his little boy Al was just everything to me. He was 2 years old and just as blonde headed as could be. He was my little buddy. Every chance I got at recess I would go over and play with him through the fence where he was playing in the back yard next door to the school house. I still keep in touch with Al today. He will be 63 years old on March 15th, a day before my birthday. He has a few health issues, but keeps driving those tractors. He has retired from the Highway Patrol and works around his home in Alex City, Alabama. He has, I think, 3 sisters that were born after they moved to Pensacola. I did not get to meet them, so I have never seen them other than in pictures.
Getting back to our day at school. We studied, we laughed, we cried, especially when the school nurses came to school to give shots. So scary!!! We had recesses, we all ate lunch together and some of us girls would get to help out in the lunchroom to help clean up and we would be rewarded with either pickles or dried apricots. I never will forget Pat Parker getting a handful of apricots and stuck them in her desk and her cousin Juanita Price reached in to get some of them and Pat slapped her hand so hard everyone could hear the slap. We all started laughing. She was not going to get Pat’s hard earned apricots!!!
Memories are so special to think back on in life and enjoy those good times. I wonder about a lot of the people I went to school with and wonder if they are still here or have they gone to Heaven. Some I know that have gone to be with Jesus. But some I’ll always wonder about like Jill Young the little red headed freckled face sweet and cute little girl with that red curly hair that was in ringlets so close to her head because it was so short. I think of her often. She was so sweet. Bonnie Mann, a beautiful little girl, and Bobbie Jean Banks. Would love to know what happened to them. Carolyn McMahon died at age 36 of a heart attack!!! Juanita Price died a few years ago and Patricia Parker died a few years ago. Sweet Jewell died a few years ago too and our sweet friend, Jean Owsley, died several years back.
You see, dying is a process we will all have to face unless the Lord comes back. I pray that when I get to Heaven to see the One who died to set us free of our sins and that is the Lord Jesus Christ, I want to see all my family and friends and have a glorious reunion, and then I will see them and will not have to wonder anymore about what happen to them. God is so good to give us great memories. I still meet about twice a year with my Holley Girl friends and I am so thankful to be able to call them my dear sweet friends!!! See you all in April for our luncheon get-together!! Love my memories. Thank You, Lord, for all your many blessings. You are the one and only TRUE GOD!!
