Written by John McElligott

I met Melinda at the A&W Root Beer out by the Fiesta Drive Inn Theater in the Summer of 1961. I was 15 years old and Melinda was 3yrs older than me. Melinda had just finished her freshman year at Texas Tech, and I was working as a life guard & manager at Half Park. I saw her driving around a wheelchair bound senior from MHS, who I saw every day at school but did not know her name. I said, “Hello”. I knew Melinda from Austin Junior High when I was in the 7th grade and Melinda was a Cheerleader in the 9th, and I was a big fan!
I never met Melinda face to face or talked to her before that night. I was out with Mike Murphy and other lifeguards from the pools in Midland. We were eating our burgers and drinking something, but not root beer. I spent the rest of the evening talking to Melinda and her companion. I was smitten with her at once, and spent the rest of the summer every day and evening as much as I could possibly arrange.
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