Melville High School ~ <Read> Message Board
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Can you remember when you did not have a TV? Well, what did you do as a child in Melville? We played marbles. Our front yard had a Mulberry tree that kept the ground, grassless. So we dug holes, very neatly with our heel, no shoes I am sure. We played marbles by shooting from one hole to the other. I played marbles with my brothers.
My closest friends were Linda Rashal, Annette Circello. Linda Stelly, Pauline Ponthieux, Cora Lee, and Loretta Clark. I played Chinese checkers every time we were together. I still love to play that game. Annette and I walked home from school very often.
At school, Mr. Ray Jackson was my favorite teacher. He showed respect for each of his students. He never made a difference in how he treated his students. And I can't say who was my worst one. She may have kin folk reading this site.
School was a time for playing jacks and jumping rope. I can remember Annette buying me a pair of green socks for a birthday. I wore them one day and they had holes under the bottom when I got home. She and I took them back to the "Jackson's Hardware" store and showed Ms Jackson. She could not figure out how that happened, but gave the money back. Many years later, it came to me that I had jumped rope all day and wore holes in those socks. While playing jacks on the porch of the old gym, I would wear holes in the side of my tennis, from sitting on the cement.
During the last recess, we would go to the side of the gym and play soft ball. Joseph Cashio could hit a ball like no other. He hit a ball one day and it landed on my nose. I can still remember Mr. Ray Jackson putting ice on my nose.
Learning? What is that? I can remember Mr. Stafford's Civic class, he would read the entire chapter to us. So, I would put my library book in the civic book and read, while he was reading to the class. This was not a good thing, it was something I did.
Ms Jenny Cannatella was a very sweet teacher. My mom had taught me to sew, so while in Ms Jenny's Home Ecnomics class, I sewed the numbers on the baseball jerseys. Mr. Stafford would let me leave his Civic class to sew also, on those jerseys. Coach? "smile"
Betty Ponthieux, Cora, Loretta Clark, Betty Ponthieux, Bertha Stelly, Annette, Linda and I would walk around the school during recess. Just around and around and around. At least 5 million times during the years we were in school.
One day, a boy, ?, told someone I was trying to kiss him. I found him and we had a fight. My one and only. I skinned my knuckles. Mr. Ruth Hebert came and took me to the office and put something on my hands. I wish I could remember the boy. I think I beat him up. "sorry"
I can remember walking across the tracks to the Joy Theater. I loved cowboy movies. My first date was going to the Joy Theater. A boy from Palmetto. He walked me to the movies, walked me home. How he got home? I have no idea.
I can remember when most of the South side of the railroad track was just a field. Ms Hagen owned a lot of the land and she divided it and made lots. And that is when the south side began to develop.
Mr. Jim Brooks had a store between Melville and Krotz Springs. Mr. Pullen had a station up town. Mr. Stinson was our Principal, then Mr. Bordelon, then Mr. Ed Agulliard.
Mr. Joe Cannatella, Mr. Tony Corte and Mr. Napoli ran the three stores in Melville. I think Mr. Napoli had the same amount of stuff as the other two, but in a much smaller place. Mr. McNeil ran the bank. If I could only remember who cleaned the bank? "smile" Mr. Jones ran the City Hall, Aunt Regina Adams Dean ran the telephone office. We could take our babies to the Health Unit to get shots. Dr Merse and Dr Slater are the two doctors I remember. George "Doo" Adams was the first baby Dr Slater delivered in Melville.
And the crank phones. We cranked a handle on the phone, the operator would answer and we gave a number and they rang it for us. Old times? Yes. Party lines? Can you remember talking and someone would pick up and then hang up. If they needed the phone, they would do this often enough you would hang up. Then they could take a turn using the phone.
Come on, fess up. You know lots of interesting things happened in your life while growing up in Melville. Tell us about it.....
Lois 
Marie ADAMS Boudreaux
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Cell: 225-485-3881 
