Beach Bend Bound in a 57 Ford

Senior Trip----------
The concept of the “Senior Trip” was a bit different for the class of 1962 at Smith County High School than what kids think of as a Senior Trip these days. In the 1970s it was a tour bus trip to Washington D.C. where you could meet with your congressman stay in a Holiday Inn, and get to gaze on the sights of the nation’s capitol. In the 1980’s and 1990s it was to morph into 6 teenagers stuffed into a 10 year old Chevy doing a 24 hour driving trip to Florida or somewhere warm at Spring Break. No parents invited or adult supervision allowed and accommodations were your spot on the floor of a bare bones motel. Beer and Bologna were the staples for most of these breakers and staying out of jail a priority. These days it is more than likely a flight to Cancun, St. John’s Island, or Aruba, or some other exotic location where the Seniors bake away the stress of high school academic life.
In 1962 our Senior Trip consisted of having the day off from school and going to Horn Springs Swimming Pool, 30 miles away in Lebanon, Tennessee. The deluxe accommodations included all expenses paid transportation via the big yellow jobs that had “Smith County Schools” painted on the side in big black letters.
It was a beautiful day in May when our Senior Trip came to pass and a few of us were less than satisfied with going to Horn Springs. My friend George Lankford had gotten a white, 1957 Ford Fairlane Convertible and he proposed that a few of us do something far more daring and exotic than Horn Springs. He proposed that our little group go to Beach Bend Park outside Bowling Green, KY. Beach Bend had more to do, it was about 50 miles away, and it was in another state. Just the sound of and out of state adventure made it more exciting, besides it was not where we were supposed to go.
So, five of us piled into the white convertible and headed out down highway 25 toward Dixon Springs. I can’t remember all of the other perps but I am pretty sure Sammy Wilburn and James Manning were along for this ride.
I was pretty nervous about going but George, in that persuasive manner that was his, assured me that we would be back by the time the others got home from Horn Springs and no one would even notice. George was one of those A Table in the cafeteria people who was loaded with an extra measure of charisma. He was always being voted Freshman Favorite, Suavest Sophomore, Jubilant Junior or some such thing. He was a born leader and I was always in awe of the fact that he had anything to do with me at all. But we had been friends since grade school and, contrary to all logic, he seemed always ready to include me in something cool. He was the reason I said ok; I didn’t want to be an old man of 50 years (oh yeah, that is the way we thought) and regret the fact that I missed the opportunity to do something cool with George for Senior Trip – besides George had assured me that no one would know anyway. (I later learned that my mother, working at the shirt factory, knew that the five of us were headed for Beach Bend before we even left town; It is a very small town – what can I say.)
We had the top down, and I soon learned that riding in the back seat of a convertible with the top down was different in practice than it appeared in movies. By the time we hit the state line headed up highway 231 my face and somewhat prominent ears were done to a turn and I hadn’t been able to draw a good breath in 30 minutes. We finally reached Beach Bend and as we drove on and on, our destination had begun to seem a lot further to me than I though it would be and I was having a hard time ignoring the fact that I was way out of the territory in which I was allowed to circulate. Not only had I transgressed I had done it telling Mama I was going one place and heading another. It was a MORTAL SIN in my way of thinking and I was pretty sure by this time, this adventure was not going to turn out well.
Well, to make a long story short, it did not. We spent most of the day at the roller skating rink and met a couple of girls who weren’t ugly and seemed mildly interested in some of the guys. They decided that we should drive them home. Since there were five of us, two of us had to wait at Beech Bend Park while the others drove those girls home. They must have lived in Ohio because the park was closing by the time George returned and it was already near the magic 11:00 p.m. hour that required me to make a call home. Unfortunately my cell phone wasn’t working and would not for about another 40 years, so my call home was out of the question.
George had started having big eyes for Pat, who would later become his wife and he was unable to pass through Hartsville without stopping at her house.
When we finally got back to Carthage, It was 2:00 a.m. and when I slipped silently into the house, Mama was there lying on the couch, awake, MAD.
I was a nervous wreck by that time already, because I knew that this moment was going to be the outcome from about 7:00 p.m. and had actually enjoyed myself only about two hours of the entire day.
Over the years, I have tried to discern whether I am glad I went on that trip and have that memory, or sorry I went and distressed my mom and dad who certainly did not deserve waiting on pins and needles until 2:00 a.m. (Well, actually Daddy was sleeping on the bed, but perhaps he was not sleeping very soundly.)
Now as I think this through, knowing that there are probably only a couple of the ones who made that trip still left when the “Class of 62” reunions take place, I can’t help but feel glad that I have this memory. I sure did hate to disappoint Mama though. Not that I was worried about what would happen, I knew that no severe punishment was in the offing, but seeing the disappointed look on her face when she said, “You told me you were going to Horn Springs, and I believed you,” was the greatest punishment of all.
I guess it is true what the Apostle John wrote, “perfect love casts out fear.” Perfect love does not cast out misery, however. I realized that my desire to please Mama had moved from fear of punishment to the respect and relationship of love. It has taken a few more years to attain that relationship with God.
Have a blessed day, Bob