Pacific Grove Junior High School 1961-1963

During the summer of 1961 we again moved from 904 Fillmore Street to 609 Alder Street, which was at the corner of Alder and Junipero Ave. George Washington Park was directly across the street. It was all wooded, no baseball field, just a meadow. On the other side of the park were the 17 Mile Drive Village Cottages and store. Very low income area, they had a swimming pool on the grounds but we were always getting kicked out.

Starting 7th grade was another scary moment in my life, as I am sure it was too many other children my age. We were about to go a school where all the elementary 6th graders from a year ago would all be in the same place. Not to mentioned the 8th graders that we would have to deal with as well.

Pacific Grove Junior High School had been the previous High School and they were still playing basketball and football on our campus. The classes were all inclusive into one building. We had our own gym and auditorium.

Physical Education would be new to all of us. Dressing out into gym clothes and then showering and changing before the next class. This would be a change not easily adjusted to. We were meeting new students that we had never met before and starting new friendships.

The school had sock hop dances, usually on a Friday, in the gym. You had to dance in your socks as shoes were not allowed on the gym floor. Boys would be one side and the girls on the other and it was a meeting of sexes on the floor. It all depended on how shy you were if dancing was meant to be. There were always certain girls that you could depend on not to turn you down. The twist, mash potatoes, and similar dances with different names were a sign of the times back then.

I remember the phase of flipping bottle caps and matching coins before school and during lunch.

The summer after 7th grade we move to 735 Rosemont Avenue prior to the start of 8th grade. There were more sock hops and dances. I joined the choir in 8th grade and one morning while riding my bike to school for choir practice I tried to be the traffic light on Forest Avenue. I was hit by a car and I was in the hospital during the Christmas holidays.

I was in a caste for quite a while, missing most of the 8th grade basketball games. We were divided in classes and made the playoffs anyway. The day of the championship game I had just gotten my caste off and played in the game. I can still remember the noise from that game. Although we lost it is still one of my favorite events from Junior High.

Graduation in Junior High was special. Each class had to put on a skit for the school prior to the graduation ceremony. After two years we were finally ready to move on to high school.

Next up: Pacific Grove High School years..