Page 30 - Gary's Book - Final Copy 7.9.2017_Active

Needing More Education

I did not perform very well in my early years of school because of being from a
dysfunctional family with no parental encouragement. We had no books in our

home - not even nursery rhymes; we just could not afford them. Reading and
learning was not a priority. We didn’t draw; we didn’t write; we didn’t learn.
Consequently, I failed the third grade. Then when I was about twelve years old,
because I worked on the Jurnic Farm with seven other boys, I did not attend school
regularly. As a result, as I mentioned before, I failed the seventh grade. I was

disgraced and embarrassed. I was known as a loser. I could do better; I would do
better.

By the time I was fourteen, I began to comprehend the importance of education. I
knew that if I were going to alter my life in a positive way, I had to do well in
school. As I mentioned, I still have the notes that I wrote to present to the judge at
the hearing when I was to be released from my mother to live with the Rios family.

My grammar, spelling and sentence structure, if you can call it that, were terrible. I
am not proud of it, but it was what it was. When I finally got to attend school more
in the eighth grade, I began to steal books from the library. I was so hungry to
learn. I craved reading and learning. I wanted so badly to do better, to succeed. I
was mostly interested in improving my reading, spelling and grammar. I didn’t
have much help, so the math was very difficult for me to decipher alone.

After doing my evening farm chores, I would hide in the barn with a light or sneak
a flashlight to bed and read. I got caught several times after lights were to be out.
My book would be taken away and off I went to the smokehouse or barn for the
night. If I did not go to school, one of the boys would get me another book. We
protected each other the best we could. Somehow, I pushed hard enough to get the
education I felt I needed to get to the other side of the tracks. Even today one of my

primary pastimes is reading and learning new words and their correct spelling.

I started out going to Frobel School in St. Louis for kindergarten through sixth
grade and then to Washington Grade School in Mattese, Missouri. Afterwards, I
was off to Mehlville High School for the first two years (September 1953 - June
1955), and then, because we moved, I went to Webster High School for the last

two years (September 1955 – June 1957).

25