I went to Junior high school in a program sponsored by the College of Education at Western Washington University. One of the side-benefits of this school was that we had several advanced programs and extra student teachers to go with them. In addition we had special class subject matter that included field trips and a hands-on biological science course in the 8th grade in which we dissected dead cats. We also were offered a home economics course and industrial arts where we actually made things. It was a great privilege to attend this school.
In addition to these special programs we also were automatically included in many college regular activities. We ate lunch in the college cafeteria and got to swim in the huge college swimming pool every Friday. Moreover, we were regularly included in special assemblies that our teachers thought we would profit from. Also, our Junior High basketball team got to play its games in the college gym. Our student teachers were a great help in most of our courses, providing individualized attention and guidance.
One of the “extra-curricular” benefits of attending this school was our discovery of a several college building long tunnel that ran from the front of the campus buildings to the back end. It was full of heating pipes, electrical wires and on our way to and from lunch numerous twists and turns. We used to love to run through the tunnel and pretend we were scaring each other. Fortunately, no ever found out about our escapades and none of ever got hurt.
These years coincided with the end of World War Two and the college was over-run with retuning vets raring to go to college. Most of our student teachers were vets. After school we sometimes went to the practice fields or gymnasium to watch these older guys put their moves on the “newbies” that had just arrived tough on the football field.
Another way the presence of these older students on campus in our classes worked out well for me was the fact that a couple of them played on a local City League basketball team for which I was fortunate enough to become the regular waterboy. Not only did I get to know these fellows well, but they took me along to Seattle for their state-wide City League championship game in Seattle. In fact one of these fellows, Earl Nordvet, was also the ticket manager for the local professional team, the Bellingham Fircrest team, and he actually set me up to be the waterboy for the Harlem Globetrotters who were coming to play our local pro team.
All of these opportunities came about because I was a student at the Campus School of the local college, Western Washington University. It was almost as if I was going to Junior High and College at the same time. I must admit that at that time I was not the sort of student the college would allow to take their classes. I did borrow books from the college library often, but they were almost always in one way or another, books about sports. I cannot help but think that my many years of exposure to the college way of life and academic atmosphere had some effect on my overall outlook toward life. I did eventually become a college professor. Too bad I was not able to get credit for my early years on the college from High School. One year this dynamic actually led to the older, more mature guys surprising the Seniors by taking them on the “Freshman Ride” as a formal initiation in reverse. Many of these veteran students were married and had jobs.
All of this worked to my advantage in several ways. One was having a member of the college basketball team as my coach for two years. His name was “Pinky” Erickson and he was very popular on campus. Actually his son Dennis
became a very well-known football coach years later. In addition, I almost never missed a game, in any sport, at the college during those years and enjoyed rooting for “Pinky” in his games. Incidentally, he was called “Pinky” because of his bright red hair and white freckled skin. I had another student teacher whose nick name Tuffy” because he proved himself to be just that.