Homer Don Smith

This Don Smith.

My family went to Eastland, Texas in 1947 where my dad had his first job as a high school band director. We lived there until 1952.

Don was my boyfriend in 5th and 6th grade and my friend for all time.  After we moved to Comanche in 1954, I wrote  letters to him, and in 1955 he drove from Eastland to Comanche to visit.

In this picture he is wearing his Eastland High School Band uniform.  He played snare drum in the marching band, and oboe in the concert band.  I believe he went to All-State Band playing oboe for at least two years.










In 1949 my family went to Fort Worth for the annual Fat Stock Show.
Don went with us.  He had his picture made on the back of a
horse. (Astuffed horse, of course.) Looks real, doesn't it?

Meanwhile, in California....

Mamie King, the eldest daughter of Maggie Atwood, was born in 1892.  She moved to Los Angeles, California in 1926 to work as secretary for a man she had been working for in Fort Worth   He was in the oil and gas business somehow.  About 1929 she married Cecil Bellah, an electrician for a movie studio.

Cecil particularly loved fishing and camping outdoors.  they spent their honeymoon camping at Yosemite National Forest.  

Thurston's Bachelor of Arts Degree

Thurston (my dad) started teaching band at Eastland High School in 1947.  He loved the work.  He started with a school that had not had a band in 5 years.  He went to his old band teacher, Pat Howard, who lived in Comanche.  Pat told him how to get started...what book to use, and he stayed one page ahead of his students that first year. More info later about the Eastland High School Band later.

In 1949 Texas passed the Gilmer-Aiken bill, which required all public school teachers to have a college degree. So Daddy started going to classes at Howard Payne College, in Brownwood, Texas.  He attended classes on nights and Saturdays for a long time. Finally he got his diploma.  He went to the graduation ceremony by himself.  These are snapshots of him that I made on our back porch in Comanche that day.

Eastland Junior High School

I had lots of friends in Eastland Jr. High School.
I took this picture one day  during lunch period on the playground.

The boy in front on the right is Jimmy Pipkin.  His father owned the Piggly-

Wiggly grocery store in town.

The boy on the left is Don Smith.  He and I were a number for a couple of 

years.  I wish I knew where he is now.  He was the best boyfriend I ever

had.

Don had a horse and he used to let me ride it.  We would go to the western

movies on Saturday afternoon.  His mother took us in her car.  And later on 

my famiy got to be real fond of him.

My 1948 recital dress.

This is the dress Mother made for my piano recital when I was 11 years old.
It was made of golden yellow taffeta with net over it.  Not Mother's choice of styles, but mine.  I wanted a real formal.

I took piano lessons from age 6 to age 15.  Every year I would have a
recital and expected everybody in the family to make a big deal out of it.

One year my aunt Ernestine gave me a white Bible.  It had Jesus's words
printed in red.  I was very proud of that; not sure why I don't still have it.

I also had a little pearl locket with a gold cross on the front.  It would hold
two very tiny pictures but I think it came with the Lords Prayer in it. It was on a very delicate gold chain.

found: my baby picture

My first picture.  I was born September 9, 1938 in Sherman, Texas 

Little Patsy (me)

 The picture below is a snapshot made when
I was 2 years old.  Notice the high top shoes.
Mother and Daddy made me wear shoes like
that till I was 6 years old.

My first long dress.  Mother made it for my
piano recital when I was nine years old.

Bill took this picture of me on Christmas Day in 1946.