By David J. Simpson

WHAT GIRLS DID FOR FUN

I was always curious what girls did for fun when we weren’t around, for it seemed to be so secretive. After a good measure of recent brain picking, I discovered they talked a lot to each other in person and on the phone, mainly about clothes and boys. They listened to records and would write movie stars and ask for their autographed photos.

Rainbow Beach was a hotspot for the girls during the crazy, lazy days of summer. There they could catch up on the latest gossip, cultivate a glamorous sun tan and ogle the muscular life guards. Little did they know that the boys who worked in the locker room had drilled peek holes in the overhead. However, Rainbow Beach was a luxury most boys didn’t have during weekdays, for we were busy working summer jobs on the farms, in the orchards, performing odd jobs and delivering newspapers.

WHAT BOYS DID FOR FUN

It always seemed that boys had many more outlets of fun and adventure, both wholesome and mischievous! At least, it was more obvious to the public’s view. We had a myriad of sports to choose from, both at the YMCA and in the park playgrounds. During the winter, the Y was packed with boys learning to swim, participating in gym classes, playing basketball, ping pong, checkers, etc. During the warmer seasons, we had football, baseball and softball in vacant lots and parks.

Jr. Hi-Y was popular during our 7th and 8th grade, as a warm-up for Sr. H-Y during our high school years. In our first year in both organizations, we were considered pledges and subject to a lot of hazing. We had to memorize all the streets in Vincennes, the capitals of each state and other mind altering trivia. We were required to wear ties at all times, unless we were playing sports, and basically do anything that an upper classman ordered. We always had to address these members as, “Sir.” The punishment for any infraction was administered at our weekly meetings. A full fledged member would report any violation of the rules for each pledge. The Sergeant of Arms would ask us to bend over and grab our ankles, and we then would receive a painful and powerful swat on the hind side for each demerit with a huge wooden paddle with holes drilled in it. These unforgettable rites of passage would go on week after week – believe me, it was a breathtaking and painful experience. At the last meeting prior to our initiation, we each were chosen by an active member to exchange licks with the paddle. Amazingly, some of the scrawniest, non-athletic boys packed the biggest wallops with that trusty old paddle! These trials and tribulations were rewarded with some memorable dance parties and some great wiener roasts