THE BOILER ROOM

At one time the Wilbur Wright faculty lounge was in the boiler room. Those teachers who needed a cigarette would descend a narrow fire escape type of stairway, into a hot, dusty room dominated by two huge furnaces. The engineer who tended the furnaces was a meticulous man who "bawled out" teachers who "messed up" his boiler room. One day a custodian rushed into Mr. Holmes' office and said that a concrete retaining wall had collapsed, spilling coal into the boiler room. The engineer was missing, and he was concerned that the engineer was under the coal. Soon teachers and students were digging in the coal attempting to find the engineer. Hundreds of tons of coal had spilled into the room, and removal without tools was slow until one teacher screamed at them to dig faster. Frantically, they clawed at the coal with bare hands,, some even like dogs digging for a bone. A student cried out as he uncovered the man's hand. The rescue squad had arrived by the time the body had been removed, but it was too late.
 

THE COUNSELOR

The counselor was nicknamed "The Little Old Wine Maker" because he used to make wine. He was a gentle, kind person with a genuine regard for the welfare of students. He owned a cottage on a resort lake, and each spring the male members of the faculty were invited for a weekend of fishing, drinking, and merry making. We used his boat and drank his booze ' without a single complaint from him. He finally had to retire because of a bad heart, and at his retirement dinner, he gave everyone a flower as a sign of his affection.

He was unhappy away from the school, and he wanted to come back. The doctor told him that only an extremely risky operation could restore his health. He took the chance. The teachers gave him a TGIF party before he went to Houston for the surgery. He died, and we were all very sad. The principal asked his friends to donate blood to replace that which was used during the operation. Some gave, some tried to give, but for various reasons it wasn't accepted, and some didn't bother to try. Everyone agreed they must have had good reasons.
 

P.A. ANNOUNCEMENTS

No one dared talk when Jay Holmes was giving morning announcements. He spoke in a monotone voice, and his soft voice was difficult to understand. But no one talked, and no one was allowed in the hall during P.A. announcements. Once he saw several students outside the office as he was delivering one of his dull morning proclamations. Without hesitation, he commanded. "I want that teacher who has students in the halls to report to me immediately." Seven teachers came to his office.