Memories of a Woodsdale Kid

by Judy Meier Grace

Connecting with my fellow classmates and reading their blogs have churned up so many memories! When I tell my friends that I grew up in Wheeling, West Virginia, they sometimes snicker. I just tell them that it was the best place in the world to be a kid. There's no way they can understand. How I wish Woodsdale School were still standing! Somewhere in my house is a brick my mother gave me when they tore the school down.

I remember Woodsdale's HUGE halls and those big wooden pillars. The front door was on Maple and the side door was on Bethany Pike, which was the biggest and busiest street I had ever seen (next to the National Road). No one really needed to be late to class, because there was a first bell and a second bell. The rope to ring it was outside Mrs. Wolfe's room. I can still see Mr. Helms ringing it.

I lived half a block from the school, so I went home to eat lunch. Occasionally I got to eat lunch at school--I loved those days! I always bought a token; tickets were for people who were lucky enough to have one of Mrs. Henry's sandwiches every day.

*side note: During lunch, my mother and I used to watch "Search for Tomorrow" and "Guiding Light." Each soap was 15 minutes long and LIVE!

One of my favorite times during the school year was Christmas. We would gather on those wide steps and sing carols. There was a tree in the middle of the downstairs hall. Talk about being politically incorrect in public school! And the Christmas pageants--rehearsals on the stage, that big blue velvet curtain, and Mrs. Young playing the piano.

We had those periodic visits from Miss Brand (music), Mrs. Waddell (handwriting), and Mrs. Johnston (art). Poor Miss Brand--we never gave her a break, especially when she pulled out her pitch pipe. Miss Waddell made us do those horrible push pulls and ovals--never could get those right. I think we enjoyed the art teacher's visit the most.

And...Bible School every Wednesday morning. I envied the kids whose parents said they didn't have to go. I really tried to talk my parents out of going--I kept saying, "I'm not even a Presbyterian!" Mrs. Keester got after us if we had our eyes open during the prayers. I always wanted to ask her how she knew they were open, but I was afraid I'd get in trouble.

After school and on week-ends we'd get on our Schwinns and ride to McAlister's on Heiskell Avenue. Candy bars were a nickel. If only I had kept my Archie comic books!

Across "the Pike" was Woods' Run Park. There were 2 or 3 little bridges that crossed the creek. We used to go wading and look for crawdaddies in the rusty water.

Going to play in the Etzes' woods was absolute heaven--we made forts, climbed to "the rock" and spent the whole day in our own little world.

Some noteworthy events ocurred while my generation was at Woodsdale: Queen Elizabeth's coronation, the beginning of the construction of I-70, the invention of television, and ELVIS!