Guilt by Association

Awful welcome

My introduction to Stadium was not all together a happy experience. I had been attending Jason Lee since February of 1950 having just arrived in Tacoma between blizzards in January.

All of the 9th graders who would be attending Stadium High the coming fall were invited to a function at Stadium. I believe it was to kind of introduce us to the Castle School. I believe it was an assembly perhaps with the performance of the "Student Prince".

In any case, all of the seats with a good view of the stage were taken. So I saw a bunch of kids sitting on the window sill and joined them over to the left of center stage. After a while some of the guys in the center window seats started to bang and vibrate the radiator under our feet. When suddenly, what I later learned turned out to be, the Vice Principle appeared.

All the kids on the window sill jumped off a ran away.

I did not. For one I did not know who the Vice Principle was, 2ndly I did not shake the radiator but just sat there. I did not do anything wrong so why would I run, 3rd I did not even know where to run to.

So I stayed put, and the principle grabbed me and hauled me to the office and gave me a lecture, something about being a young hooligan coming from Jason Lee and setting me straight for my future attendance there. He never asked me what I did, just assumed. I had just 4 or 5 months ago arrived from a DP camp in Germany, and my English wasn't all that great to give him any arguments.

It was not a very good introduction to my future three years at Stadium High.
My foster mother, wife of the Rev Arthur Bell (St Luke's Episcopal Church) had a little chat with the VP and got things straightened out, but I was always afraid of this stern looking Vice Principle and never again needed to appear in his office. I believe he later was Principle of Stadium High but can't remember his name at this time.

Doug Brandner
Class of 1953

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