The Fall of 1975

 

It was now the Fall of 1975…

Eleventh grade started and I was back at East Jefferson, working on weekends and whenever. I was able to participate in the Louisiana Association of Student Council workshops, attend Junior Achievement meetings at an office located downtown in the CBD, and to sell programs, now at the new Louisiana Superdome, but I really had no personal direction while living out in Metairie. I don’t even remember giving my report cards, or my class pictures or any keepsakes to my mom for my School Days book, so I don’t even remember who my teachers were or what grades I received.

On the bright side, I was getting invited to more Uptown parties and I hadn’t yet worn out my welcome with sleeping over at Stephen’s house, so I went Uptown as much as possible. 

It was around this time that I met two important new friends, the first being Walker Boss, and the second being Bill Kearney, both of whom I met at one of the black tie social parties, where Deacon John was the band. I loved to dance, especially when I was drinking, so did both Walker and Bill, and so did all the girls at the parties. I became fast friends with both. 

Walker was my age, attended Isadore Newman School, and he lived in the French Quarter. He had a lovely family, and I ended up meeting all

his cousins. I was sometimes set up to escort his sister to parties, but more often I was set up with his first cousin, Jeanne. She was a year behind me in school, at Louis McGehee. She was absolutely beautiful and very sophisticated, to me at least. 

Walker lived in a beautiful home on Governor Nichols Street, with a lovely, massive courtyard. His dad was an attorney at Jones, Walker Law Firm, which was started by Walker’s grandfather and namesake, Jack Walker. Walker’s mother was the daughter of Jack Walker. He also had an older brother named John V. who went to the University of Virginia. It was from Walker and John V. that I learned about monogrammed cotton shirts and so many other things. Truth be told, theirs was an entirely different world from my family. It was because of Walker’s interest in going to Emory University that I even thought about applying to college, much less a college out of state, like the University of Alabama. I’m pretty sure that to this day Walker has no idea the impact he and his family had on me.

Bill Kearney and I met and became fast friends. He was a year behind me in school at Ecole Classique school, but we became very close. In Bill, I found a kindred spirit in that when we went somewhere together, no matter where we went, we walked in like we owned the place. Bill and I took whatever we wanted and we always shared the spoils. We both realized early on that the girls really liked our attitude, or so we had convinced each other. Bill lived on Octavia street in a house that I would later find out my parents had attempted to purchase at one time through Hibernia Bank, but the sellers instead sold it to the Kearney’s because, as my mom put it, they had more social status. I never told Bill or anyone else this story until now.

In the early Spring of 1976, I was expelled from East Jefferson High School for, among other things, being insubordinate to the principal, over a disagreement regarding a friendship with one of my teachers. It was my third strike and I was permanently put out of the Jefferson Parish school system. Then my grandmother died. This triggered, what I think, was a very deep depression. 

It was around this time that my dad finally had enough of me, and I finally had enough of him. I felt that over the years my dad had used me as his personal punching bag, and I decided it was time to put an end to it. The police were called and my dad had me arrested, but that was the last time my dad ever hit me. My dad ordered me out of the house. I said didn’t have any place to go. My dad told me the only thing I could do at this point was to join the US Navy, which only added to my depression. I was miserable and I felt all alone, but I knew changes had to be made. I don’t exactly remember the chain of events, but it seems I talked it over with my mom and we decided I should go live Uptown with my grandfather. Not many of my friends know this, but I became legally emancipated so that I was able to have our house painter, yes, Mr. Jones, become my legal guardian as a way for me to start attending Warren Easton High School in Orleans Parish, from where I would eventually graduate. New school, new friends, new home, and finally back Uptown. Things were indeed looking up.

I couldn’t wait to live with my grandfather, who we called Gampy. He was my mother’s father, and some of my most memorable times as a child were spent with him and my then newly deceased grandmother, who we called Gammy. Since Gampy was now on his own, as was I, we really needed each other. It was indeed perfect timing.

© 2022 Jeffrey Pipes Guice

My Wonder Years: A Book