Capitol hill high school:..not forgotten

[Prunepicker]

I was in the class of '75 at Capitol Hill but don't have much nice to say about it.

My first year of high school was the first year of the "Finger plan". I grew
up thinking that I would attend Grant but was bused to Capitol Hill instead.
It was a very ugly time for the southside schools. Things were very
polarized and there was very little "school pride" during that time.

I have very fond memories of my years at Roosevelt Jr. High but busing,
racial violence and white flight pretty much ruined my high school
experience...

Don't get me wrong... I think that it was very big in bringing the races
together and bringing down racial barriers but it was not without some very
difficult times along the way.

That's a sad story. Honestly, I think it would have been better to bus the
teachers. Making students face, and unreasonably, their foes was not a
good idea. Judge Bohannon didn't think past his nose.

Yo Southside Girl, you don't have to worry with us. We'll treat you almost
like a human, even if you did attend that mythical school called CHSH!

Ask Soonergirl26. She's returned every time!

WAIT A MINUTE! You said "class of '75!" You ain't old enough to have any
memories. Good Grief!

Sidebar - So this high school really existed at one time...

[papaOU]

I was at CH Jr. High ('67-'70) when it all started. We had a few altercations then but when I got to the Hill ('70 -'73) things got pretty bad. Not always!! I have many good memories at and away from school. In 1967 there was a big anti-busing demonstration downtown. I was never bussed. My parents transferred my younger sister to Sacred Heart and she is an MSM grad.

[papaOU]

I went to Capitol Hill for a while. It was back when the driver’s education machines still had reins instead of a steering wheel.

Those driver ed machines were a blast. First off I had drivers ed. after lunch. Do a little "smokin" before hand then head to the class. The guy running the class was Mr. Pigg! No kidding!

[Doug Loudenback]

I read the Beacon and love it! Capitol Hill Jr High is on Robinson between 26th and 27th. The high school has always been at 36th and Walker.

My ex-wife taught English at Capitol Hill Jr. High for 3 years while I was in law school (1965-1968). Maybe she taught one of you guys. Uh, does that make me related-to-Capitol-Hill-by-former-marriage?

[FRISKY]

Those driver ed machines were a blast. First off I had drivers ed. after lunch. Do a little "smokin" before hand then head to the class. The guy running the class was Mr. Pigg! No kidding!

He was my teacher also.

[USG '60]

OK, I confess, I did my student teaching there the last 9 weeks of the '64-'65 school year. My cooperating teacher was to have been Lloyd Bengsten, Economics. But the legislature had just ruled that a person could not teach and be a member of the House. He chose to leave teaching. His first day NOT there was my first day there. The baseball coach (who's name excapes me at the moment) was assigned to take his place. The class was to spend those last 9 weeks on studying communism. First day of class Coach just read out loud from the test book, stumbling over every word with more than 2 syllables. I could tell he hated it so at the end of the first day I asked if he would like for me to take over and he said yes. Because I was an extreme lefty I considered myself an authority on Communism in is various forms. First day I got up to the lectern and said "forget everything you heard yesterday, we're starting all over. I had the rapped attention of the students all hour and the coach never returned to the room for the rest of the year. It wasn't that perfect every day but it was a terrific experience. I was hired for the next year, but the very last act of the legislature that summer was to resend their previous law, so Bengston returned. I was left hanging with no job with just 3 weeks before school was to start. Bummer-- spent the next year at a tiny town in the panhandle, a few miles north and a few miles west of Slapout, for heavens sake.

Oh, I failed to mention this tidbid. I had not seen it in the theaters and on the weekend before I started I saw Blackboard Jungle on TV. Welll .....ya'll know what CH's reputation was at the time, so I was scared to death when I first walk in that building. As I mentioned before, however, it was a wonderful experience.

[papaOU]

My ex-wife taught English at Capitol Hill Jr. High for 3 years while I was in law school (1965-1968). Maybe she taught one of you guys. Uh, does that make me related-to-Capitol-Hill-by-former-marriage?

'67-'68 was my first year there. Name does not ring a bell and I have no year book.

[papaOU]

I was in the class of '75 at Capitol Hill but don't have much nice to say about it.

My first year of high school was the first year of the "Finger plan". I grew up thinking that I would attend Grant but was bused to Capitol Hill instead. It was a very ugly time for the southside schools. Things were very polarized and there was very little "school pride" during that time.

I have very fond memories of my years at Roosevelt Jr. High but busing, racial violence and white flight pretty much ruined my high school experience...

Don't get me wrong....I think that it was very big in bringing the races together and bringing down racial barriers but it was not without some very difficult times along the way.

Why did you get bused from Grant to CHHS? I graduated in '73 (CHHS) and all the busing from my jr.high and high school days was to and from Douglas H.S.. I know you can't explain it. My first job out of high school was with Haskell Lemon. I was a runner and the yard was near Douglas. When the crap started in '74 I carried cans of starting fluid with me in the co. truck because I was always on Eastern (before MLK) and there were a series of stop lights around Douglas. Thankfully never had to use it.:

[Prunepicker]

Those driver ed machines were a blast. First off I had drivers ed. after lunch.
Do a little "smokin" before hand then head to the class. The guy running the
class was Mr. Pigg! No kidding!

Mr. Pigg! He was my driver ed teacher! OY!

[SouthsideSooner]

Why did you get bused from Grant to CHHS? I graduated in '73 (CHHS) and all the busing from my jr.high and high school days was to and from Douglas H.S.. I know you can't explain it. My first job out of high school was with Haskell Lemon. I was a runner and the yard was near Douglas. When the crap started in '74 I carried cans of starting fluid with me in the co. truck because I was always on Eastern (before MLK) and there were a series of stop lights around Douglas. Thankfully never had to use it.:

The area west of May Ave that constitutes the Arthur Elementary district had always fed to Grant but was bused to CHHS as part of the Finger plan.

On edit: I had Mr, Pigg as well and he was a really good guy. I also had coach Speegle for a math class, quite a colorful guy. Anyone remember Buddy Armstrong the basketball coach? He rode the fortune of having Winford Boynes as a player to getting the job as basketball coach at Central State Univ... Boynes became part of the legacy of corrupt recruiting practices that led to the demise of the mens basketball program at the Univ. of San Francisco.

[papaOU]

I think that U.S.F. started a basketball program again. I think Boynes was two years behind me. He went to CHJH as well.

[papaOU]

Since we have CHHS, Grant, and SE alums I'd like to kick this question around. In the last 30 or at least 20 years why have these three schools not consolidated their athletic programs?

[Prunepicker]

Since we have CHHS, Grant, and SE alums I'd like to kick this question
around. In the last 30 or at least 20 years why have these three schools not
consolidated their athletic programs?

Duh! Mortal enemies!

[Generals64]

Duh! Mortal enemies!

Not really, the guys from Grant can't speak Spanish...

[Prunepicker]

Not really, the guys from Grant can't speak Spanish...

Si, senor, no habla Espanol.

[Prunepicker]

This may be a little touchy, so forgive me if it is. We Generals used to call
the Redskins, greasers. What did they call us besides %#&*@ and idiots?

I don't remember. Maybe we were greasers, too.

[papaOU]

This may be a little touchy, so forgive me if it is. We Generals used to call
the Redskins, greasers. What did they call us besides %#&*@ and idiots?

I don't remember. Maybe we were greasers, too.

There was never an instance that I can remember where you guys were the subject of a conversation. Now the girls at Grant is a different story and I don't think you want to hear about it.

[papaOU]

Duh! Mortal enemies!

Do you think that is still true today?

[Generals64]

Do you think that is still true today?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
Hey, I hope everyone knows we're kidding about the two schools as we (the talkers) lived through these days and yet I believe that School Pride is not like it used to be. I think the pressures put on today's kids is so immense that they don't take time to worry what school anyone goes to. The people in OKC don't really realize the "Gang" problems that are emerging within out city limits. The kids are having to worry about what their territory, turf, crib, whatever you might want to call it. and, school pride is just not there. I remember we (Grant)as well as the kids from Capitol Hill and Southeast (put both in the same sentence)...OMG.... were proud of our school and there was territorial rivalry. If there was fight there were black eyes and bloody noses...but not funerals...I wish the kids of today's era would realize the importance of their education and look at their school boundaries with total pride....

[Prunepicker]

There was never an instance that I can remember where you guys were
the subject of a conversation. Now the girls at Grant is a different story
and I don't think you want to hear about it.

Just don't include the South East girls. They ROCK! I know because I know
one of them. She's soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cool, and
knowledgeable... did I say knowledgeable? At any rate I have a piece of
paper with her phone number on it...

[USG '60]

Well now, '64, don't forget early school year of '61, when Grant lost Roy Fort and Capital Hill lost Donnie Ramsey to guns and knives. It was not ALL idyllic. Granted in each case, both were done by members of the same school as the victim. And granted, it was nothing like it is today.

[Prunepicker]

Yo' 60. I know that I appear to be harsh, only because I'm harsh and will
only speak in absolutes, I appreciate everything you've said on every
thread you've posted on.

If I sounded sentimental, FORGET IT! Ain't no way I'm going to be (sniff
sniff) sentimental!

Did Redskin High really exist?

Tell the truth...

[USG '60]

Hey, Prune, this is the Nostalgia section; I would never accuse you of being harsh HERE, just over in the .....you know ......that OTHER area. Over here you're slicker than a Capital Hill duck tail.

[papaOU]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
Hey, I hope everyone knows we're kidding about the two schools as we (the talkers) lived through these days and yet I believe that School Pride is not like it used to be. I think the pressures put on today's kids is so immense that they don't take time to worry what school anyone goes to. The people in OKC don't really realize the "Gang" problems that are emerging within out city limits. The kids are having to worry about what their territory, turf, crib, whatever you might want to call it. and, school pride is just not there. I remember we (Grant)as well as the kids from Capitol Hill and Southeast (put both in the same sentence)...OMG.... were proud of our school and there was territorial rivalry. If there was fight there were black eyes and bloody noses...but not funerals...I wish the kids of today's era would realize the importance of their education and look at their school boundaries with total pride....

When I got to CHHS the greaser era was ending. Thank God!! I hope everyone does know we are kidding. One of my running buddies was going to Grant and did graduate from there. We have remained life-long friends. One of the things that bothered me concerning some of the people that went to the Hill is the fact that when in a fight they were not satisfied with winning or not, they wanted to hurt you. Hurt you bad. That was a small group but a blight just the same. Did Grant and SE have any that extreme?

[USG '60]

Hey, papaOU, I knew some of those animals at Capital Hill and they were, indeed, unmitigated animals. I'm sure that had I been able to see their home lives I would have understood where they got thier wicked streaks. Nonetheless, ...........