Click below and listen to “Just a Kiss” by Lady Antebellum.
Written by John McElligott
The 9th grade was good times for the most part.
I had exchanged discs with Cathy Blackaller, grew an inch over the summer, and could not wait until Club 15 opened.
I met Cathie at Alamo and we got to know each other at Club 15. She knew how to dance and I did not, but she showed me. For the next few months we went steady and it was the time of my life. She was a special person and had the personality of an angel. Unfortunately, it was the year I became a quitter. See the story below about my 9th grade year. Anyway, we were excited every time we saw each other at Agnes’s and one reunion just before she passed away.
Dennis “Wemus” Grubb (Class of 1965) wrote a song (See the blog Jukebox “Cadillac Girl”) dedicated to Cathie and I posted one above that reminds me of her.
I played basketball at St. Ann’s for one of the most embarrassing seasons in the history of basketball. I was not a basketball player. Tommy Clark’s father was a score keeper at one game, and told me to stop chasing the ball and play my position. Glad when the season ended.
Cathy and I broke up and I was bummed out for the rest of the year.
I started my second year of Pony League baseball, and became an out fielder. I made two great plays that I remember. One was off of Robert Samford, who hit one to the fence. I was able to catch it just before it went out of the park.
Second, was when Glen Davis tried to run me over while I was catching and had him out. He went to hit me going full blast and I went down and hooked him between the legs (like I did Baucky Huggins playing foot ball against Cowden Jr High 8th grade team). Anyway, Glen went air born heading feet first into the backstop screen and was hanging upside down by his cleats. Plus, he was out since he missed home plate.
I quit baseball after that game and went to work digging septic tank holes in Odessa. *(See my runaway story)