Blue Rinse - or - Silhouette Mud Flaps

The following was originally published August 6, 2016.

Dear Readers,

I will be going directly to the mail bag this week. Last week’s “back to school” column rekindled memories of school days for several readers. The back to school mail in addition to the usual numerous requests for autographed photos of Sassafras resulted in our favorite letter carrier, Gayle, having to make several trips to the Bookmark. As Donald Trump would say, the stack of letters was YUGE. One particular letter caught my eye. The penmanship looked familiar and it appeared to have been written in cursive with a fountain pen. Could it be from Jean Leising, I wondered as I opened it.

Dear Kris,

As I read last week’s Back to School edition of Saturday Shelby, it brought back memories of the good old days. I was also pleased to learn that the passage of time isn’t picking up speed. But, I must agree with the old timer, sometimes it certainly feels like time passes by faster and faster. The old Hendricks school, now apartments, on Miller St., is where I attended elementary school in the late 1940s. I lived on West Mechanic Street and walked to school. However, unlike some from my generation have claimed, it was only uphill one way and it wasn’t always in the snow. The five points area looked similar to today, but there were more businesses, including a couple of grocery stores, shoe repair, a Texico gas station, and, of course, the Lucky 7 Café.

I enjoyed my years at Hendricks very much. Miss Frances Liles was my art teacher for several of those years. She was fun but strict. She brought out the artist in all of us. One of my fondest memories of Miss Liles is that she took the time to make a silhouette of each of us as a gift. I still have mine. Miss Hazel Ford was my reading teacher and without a doubt my favorite. Miss Ford is the reason that I have enjoyed reading for all these years.

Recently, I read editor and publisher Kristiaan Rawlings is teaching this year at the Middle School. Just think, in 60 years some of his students will be reminiscing about their time in Mr. Rawlings class as “the good old days.”

Sincerely,

Charlene McColley

The rest of the story:

Since Mrs. McColley didn’t stop by the Bookmark, I had to go find her for today’s photo. In her grade school days she was Charlene Benefiel, one of nine children with sisters Eileen, Iris, Lillian, and Joann; and brothers, Wayne, Alton, Don and Doyle. All are now gone except Wayne and Alton.

Over twenty years after Charlene exited Miss Liles and Miss Ford’s class rooms, I entered. Miss Liles was still making a silhouette for each of her students in the 1960s. I will look for mine. My memory of Miss Liles is that she always appeared very formal and her hair had a blue rinse similar to the Queen of England. I have decided it is time to bring back both silhouette art and the blue rinse. These days the only silhouette art most people are familiar with is the silhouette of the girl found on mud flaps of large trucks. So, in an attempt to bring back the art form, our favorite barista, Marie, is offering to make your silhouette in the milk foam when you order a latte. Just turn sideways on the stool, so she can get a good look at your profile. Marie has been practicing, but so far all of the latte silhouettes are the likeness of her grandmother, Bertie. I’m still in the process of talking Caroline, Mary Kay, and Barbara into getting a blue rinse.