My memories Pete Oldani

Class of 1963

I came to Geneva as a third grader from Madison: recess always had a kickball game which I had never seen before. I was impressed with the kicking power of one of the smaller kids--- James Osborne, who helped his cause by running up on the big rubber ball as it was rolled from the pitcher.

The elementary school building was even older than the one in Madison. In seventh grade we moved next door where I was impressed with the rock and roll dancing of the eighth grade girls during lunch in the gymnasium.  Sometimes a boy (Les Pratt or Denny Pasqualone) danced with one of the girls.

On Saturdays the gym would be open for pickup basketball. It was the smallest court I ever saw; sideline space was about a foot.  Lots of basketball was played across town at the Municipal Building, where you could go down the stairs and sometimes see men locked up in the basement cells.

The most anxious move came as we entered ninth grade and moved to the new HS building where DJ Caton ruled the halls with a wood paddle. It was intimidating to many of us as we shared space with seniors like the Boyner twins and head majorette Riki Molnar.

Jack Renner was the new band and orchestra director, fresh out of Ohio State University, and already starting digital music recording experiments which would lead him to the founding of Telarc, one of the worlds leading classical recording companies.

Drivers training brought us driving licenses and for a lucky few, their very own car. We all watched Signal 30 and then had a harsh lesson when two juniors were killed on the RR tracks at lunch hour near the holidays. 

As one of the older class members I was the first to buy beer legally and of course I shared the 3.2 with my classmates, which led to several getting home late, drunk, and sick. Before I went to bed that night the possible consequences sunk in and I lay awake wondering if the parents were going to call, but nothing ever came of it.