Back Roads of My Memory
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SHOOT THE PRINCIPAL
During the mid-1950’s Killeen Schools added a visiting teacher to its staff. The position was funded by the state. The title of the position had many interpretations, however; the one used by Killeen was truant officer or “Hokey Cop” as the students named the position. In reality, the visiting teacher was to make house calls to any home where the student had been absent for any unexplained reason.
In some cases, legal encouragement was used in the event the family was hesitant to corporate with the state required attendance policy. The position was new to the Killeen community. So, there were times when individual family members resented the action. They interrupted the policy as an infringement on their independence.
Such was the case when I as principal asked the visiting teacher to call on a family who had just moved into the community with three school age children. Their residence was only three blocks from the Avenue “D” Elementary School campus. It was quite evident when their kids were not in school. The visiting teacher did make the house call and explained the state attendance law to the mother, who took exception to the visit and inquired as to who was responsible for requiring the visit.
The visiting teacher explained the attendance law and stated legal action could be taken if the children were not in school on a regular basis. The mother replied, “Who did you say ordered the visit?” The visiting teacher replied, “It was the principal of Avenue “D” Elementary School. In fact, you can see his office from here.” He then pointed to the three-story red brick building on the hill. He further stated, “His office is on the second floor.” The mother replied, “I will send my kids to school when I think it is necessary and tell that principal that I plan to shoot him!” The visiting teacher could not wait to get back to school and advise me that my life had been threatened.
We did not take the threat as a serious concern; however, it often crossed my mind as I moved about the office which had three rows of windows across the side of the building which faced her house. During the next day, the visiting teacher walked into my office with a sign pinned on his coat which said, “I am not the principal.” He was followed by the assistant principal who wore a sign that said, “I am not the principal either.” Then came the janitor with a sign which read, “I am only the Janitor.”
Several uneventful days went by. I smoked a pipe in those days and administrators were allowed to smoke in their office. One of the above-mentioned group had placed small explosive loads in my tobacco pouch. A salesman called on me that day and as we stood in front of, “THE” window, I placed tobacco in my pipe and lit it only to have at least three of the loads to go off. Since I had recently been discharged from the Army and thoughts of the mother down the street, I hit the floor for protection. Much laughter could be heard from down the hall.
I do not know what the salesman was selling…. he never came back!
UNHAND ME YOU BRUTE
During the early years of my marriage, we had one son, Skip. Due to my job in the public school and being a hometown couple, we had a number of close friends. Two single young men, Bill Alford and Bob Taylor, visited our home often. Since Skip was some eighteen months old and learned to talk, Bill and Bob got a kick out of teasing and playing with him.
Since they enjoyed teasing Skip, I taught him to say, “Unhand me, you brute” when they picked him up and were scuffling with him. This was all well and good and all of us got a kick out of the horseplay.
However, we were not prepared for the incident that took place a Skipper’s christening. When the day arrived, Billye and I along with Skip were sitting on the front row of the First Methodist Church in Killeen, Texas.
As the service progressed, the minister called us to come forward. As is custom after a few words relating to christening, he reached out and took Skip from his mother’s arms. To which Skip said in a loud, clear voice, “Unhand me you brute!” The congregation roared in laughter. Billye turned beet red. I wanted to fall through the floor. After the initial shock, the minister joined in the laughter.
The christening proceeded in a light hearted, happy mood.
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About the Book
Dr. Norman Hall has lived a full life—ninety-four years and counting, and he looks back at navigating change, overcoming challenges, and bearing witness to history in this memoir.
Along the way, he ponders his successes and failures, the whys and the why-nots, the might-have-beens, the near-misses, and the what-ifs.
While he grew up as a Texas country boy with limited success in school, he graduated from college, served four years in the Army, and spent seventy years as a school administrator.
He recalls adventures dating all the way back to the 1920s and 1930s when his boyhood ranch was one of only two in a three-mile area. His playmates were Mexican children, and as he played with them, he learned their language and many of their customs.
The roads were mainly dirt, and the rural mail carrier was the chief source of news for most families. Life was made up of many carefree days enjoying the small-town atmosphere.
Join the author as he relives bucolic tales of rural life, serving in the Army, starting a family, and educating children and young adults in Back Roads of My Memory.
About the Author
Dr. Norman Hall grew up near the small town of Killeen, Texas, and graduated from Killeen High School. He taught in a one-room country school before completing his bachelor of science degree at Texas A&M University. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army and served four years before returning to Killeen and becoming a secondary school principal. As a school administrator, he went on to earn a master’s degree and doctorate degree. He lives in McQueeny, Texas.
Delores Hittinger, a retired educator, devoted forty-six years working with young people in Texas and California. She began her career in Happy, Texas, after graduating from West Texas State University, and spent eight years teaching and coaching at Centennial High School in Compton, California. She earned a master’s degree from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin and was a teacher and principal at Richard Milburn Academy in Odessa for fifteen years. She lives in Odessa.