My memories Donna (Copen) McKinnis

Class of 1963

When people tell me they hated high school, I think how lucky I am.  I loved my years at GHS and growing up in a small town where people were friendly and life was safe. 

Jeanne Jackson was my favorite teacher.  She pushed us and demanded our best--and to this day I often thank her mentally for a great foundation in English.  In her French classes, I remember the crazy contortions her face made as she showed us how to pronounce the vowels.       

Two years of Latin with Mrs. Mynderse  was a lot of memorizing, and I never thought I'd use it after high school, but it  helped me learn basic Italian and Spanish.  I actually translated tombstones and placques on a trip to Italy a few years ago.  I often tell people about the Latin Banquet...wearing a toga, running around barefooted, and eating a fried grasshopper because my master ordered me to do it.  It was actually more fun being a slave than a master the next year.  And I can still sing "Jingle Bells" in Latin.

Who could forget Mrs. Kramer in biology. Carole Koschar and I were partners, and every day we checked what Mrs. Kramer was wearing.  We called her “The Jello Lady” because she liked bright colors and her dresses looked like Jello flavors.  She had one dress with lots of fruits and when she wore it we whispered to each other:  "She's fruit jello today!"  We giggled like crazy during her classes, which helped us to get through yucky stuff like dissecting frogs.

My memories:  football games with great cheerleaders and the terrific marching band, pep rallies, basketball games when the whole stands seemed to be cheering red and white, the dances, ladies' choice, slow dancing with someone you really liked, raking leaves and then jumping around in the big pile, snow (which seemed like fun then, but now I prefer to live in the sun and visit the snow), occasionally missing the school bus and having to walk to the high school (not fun in the winter), summers of sunbathing, beach parties and hanging out at the lake, Madsen's donuts (especially the chocolate custard ones), the unique musty but new smell at the Dime Store, twirling on the stools at Reese's over vanilla cokes and pineapple phosphates, and burgers at Eddie's Grill.. 

I still laugh about the night at Eddie's when the stripper Busty Russelll came over from the Burlesque next door..  She wanted some supper between shows.  She sat on a stool, picked up her gigantic boobs, plopped them on the counter, and ordered a burger with everything--oblivious to all the gaga guys around the counter..

I have lived all over the U.S., traveled the world, lived in England and Japan, but Geneva will always be home to me.  Good town, good people, good friends, GREAT memories.