Don’t Say a Word Rutledge!!

Do you remember the 1960s? I was fortunate enough to grow up in one of the most interesting decades in the history of the United States (in my opinion, anyway), right after the boom of the 1950s and in a city (Akron, Ohio) that was in its prime and was hustling and bustling. My earliest memories seem to be in black and white, maybe because the color television was still making its way into every house, but overall, I remember being content and that Akron was in the center of everything. I had not been anywhere else to speak of so what did I know? There are always ups and downs when you live in a “Rust Belt” industrial town, especially when you are tied primarily to one industry. Back then it was the automobile industry, specifically the tire industry. It was rare to run across someone that was not tied one way or another to the rubber companies for their livelihood. The technology age was in its infancy and good ole midwestern values were still being taught and deemed important. Your work ethic had a lot to do with how you were viewed in the community.

When I was a young lad growing up, I attended a grade school named Ritzman which was a few blocks from my childhood home. Back then, it was a kindergarten through sixth grade school. The original Ritzman school building was constructed in 1891 as the original Springfield High School and then Ellet High School took it over once Springfield built their own facility. The school was named in honor of John Curtis Ritzman (1875-1963), who served as a custodian when it was Ellet High School up until 1950. The Ellet community decided to show their admiration for the many years of loyal service which Ritzman had provided by renaming the building in his honor. I attended Ritzman Elementary from 1965 to 1972.

During that period of time shopping malls were just starting to come on the scene, but large downtown department stores were still the kings of retail. In Akron, the first two malls were Chapel Hill Mall on the east side and Summit Mall on the west side. Both of them opened in 1967 or 1968. If you have ever watched The Christmas Story movie, the way the department stores were shown was spot on. In Akron, I remember the two large department stores as O’Neil’s and Polsky’s.

These stores were very ornate and had multiple floors that had anything that you would ever need to buy. The escalator was made of wood as were the large number of display cases. They had lunch counters, restaurants, hair salons and a ton of other things to see and do. They would have International Week, Salutes to Education, the Military, etc. As you can imagine (or recall), Christmas time was rocking back in those days. One of the attractions to get people to come downtown was the decorated windows on the first floor at street level. You could come down and just “window shop” for hours. They had elaborate set ups and people would wiggle up to the windows to get a better look. Inside was hard to grasp for a little guy like me. People were everywhere it seemed, and kids were lined up to see Santa and his elves to be sure the big guy got the list in person. Downtown was the place to be. The malls had not taken over yet.

When I was in school, I typically brought home good grades and didn’t seem to have any problems on that level. However, when parent-teacher conferences would come around, the teachers would always want to speak with my parents. Those discussions and the notes on my report cards usually went something like this: “Mark is an excellent student, but he has some “difficulties” paying attention, being quiet and keeping his hands to himself. I would look at my shoes and swear to do better but that never really changed. I was Mr. Social Butterfly and they tried their best to change me but it never really worked until Mrs. Wood, my third-grade teacher got her hands on me (literally!).

Today’s blog will focus on her approach to handle my perceived “difficulties” of being an 8-year-old third grader and going to school in the windows at O’Neil’s one Christmas in 1968.

But First…A Joke:

A Scottish mother visits her son in his downtown Atlanta apartment and asks, “How do you like the Americans, Markus?”. “Mother,” says Markus, “they’re such noisy people. Our neighbor won’t stop banging his head against the wall, while the other screams and screams all night long.”

“Oh Markus! How do you manage to put up with them?”

“What can I do? I just lie in bed quietly, playing my bagpipes.”

A Verse to Contemplate:

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord - Romans 12:11

Have I Told You This One?

As you know, when Christmas time rolls around every year, there are a ton of things to do. Every activity seems to have a party, gift exchange, etc. There are seasonal events to do, light displays, plays, presentations, church programs, etc.

My school was not different. One day I was asked to come into the principal’s office. Now, this was not something new for me but for the life of me I had no idea what I could have done wrong (this time). Mrs. Wood walked me over to his office (at least I got out of class for a tick!) and they sat me down in the leather chair in between them at his conference table. I gulped.

The principal seemed really happy to give me this news but Mrs. Wood was NOT. A little bit about Mrs. Wood. If you looked up third grade woman teacher in 1968 in a dictionary, her picture would be there! Her dress seemed like something out of the 1940’s with these grandma shoes on and hose that came up to her calves. She looked like someone just hit her car with eggs and had the sense of humor of a stop sign (for the record, I appreciate all she taught me. I can’t remember exactly what that was, but since I didn’t have to go through twice, I must have learned some good things! Thanks Ms. Wood).

The principal asks me how I’m doing and comes behind me and puts his hands on my shoulders. Thinking this is a setup, I say “everything is going great, sir and Mrs. Wood is the best teacher ever.” He smiles and says, “I’m sure she is,” but Mrs. Wood didn’t find it too funny. He continues on with “How Would you like to represent our school next week downtown in one of the O’Neils windows?” Okay, now I’m really confused. “I would love to, but I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” “Mrs. Wood is going to lead a small class of six people in one of the windows downtown and you have been picked to be one of the students.” I looked at him to be sure he wasn’t yanking me (he wasn’t) and then looked at Mrs. Wood (her expression was priceless). I’m guessing she didn’t get to pick all the students!

So, I head home after school and at dinner I spring it on my parents that their little bundle of joy is going to represent the school as a scholar in a department store window. After Mom gave Dad the Heimlich maneuver to stop his choking, I filled them in with the details of the big event. Not bad for a tire builder’s kid, eh?

The big day rolls around and off to downtown I go with my chauffeurs. We get there in plenty of time as requested and they take me and the others in the store and show us how to get into the windows and which chair to sit in. When the clock strikes 7:00, we start to head into the window where there are six desks set up. I am the last one and as I get ready to enter Mrs. Wood grabs me by the collar and turns me around and gets right in my face and says…..”Don’t say a word, Rutledge!!” She seemed to really mean it so I wander in and take my place. I’m surprised I didn’t wet myself. I look ever so briefly at the window and my family is right there. Dad has his super 8 camera going and Mom is weaping and my brother is making faces at me. I turn around quickly and Mrs. Wood is eyeballing me so I obey and do not utter one word, raise my hand, pick up a pencil….NOTHING!

The time goes by and we exit the window and I rejoin my family. My Dad has a curious look on his face and asks me, “Why didn’t you participate during the session?” I informed him of the not so subtle request from Mrs. Wood and he just smiled and shook his head (One of many that was to come in our relationship). We left and headed back home and my days as a window mannequin came to an end.

Now THAT’s a story you don’t hear these days!

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, help me to do my part in keeping the body healthy and whole. Prompt me to forgive others because You have been so faithful to forgive me.

Book Recommendation:

Love Does - Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World by Bob Goff (2012)

Music Recommendation:

Live! At Carnegie Hall by Phil Keaggy & Glass Harp (1971)