K B White school on Charles St in the 1950's
In the late 50's, I went to Katherine B White Elementary school on Charles St. near Bloom St. on the East side of Detroit. It was a big building, built in 1920, divided into two parts, "White school" proper, and "White Special," for kids with various disabilities, cerebral palsy and such. There was virtually no interaction between the two groups. Many of the disabled kids used crutches and wore helmets in case they fell down. I did not recognize any of them from the neighborhood, so I guess they came from all around town.
White school was racially integrated. Because of the neighborhood demographics, most of the students were white. Many European national origins were represented: Poles, Irish, French, German, etc. My best friends there were George "Sonny" Konvinski and Eugene Genest. Some surnames were, Ritchie, Vengris, Frishcosy, Carter, Manczyk, Filipski, Peters, Ogonowski, Klester, Clay, many others.
I was on the school safety patrol [[crossing guards) and also the "Air Raid Patrol". In the latter capacity, we learned some first aid, and when there was an air raid alarm, we would go to assigned classrooms of little kids and pull the shades down [[I guess that might have had some benefit, to prevent possible flying glass from the windows shattering from a distant blast.)
Teachers I remember were Mrs Martin [[Science), Mrs Kass and Mrs. Mangini [[Social studies), Mr. Bernstein [[Art), Mt. Tomberg [[Library), Miss Curtiss [[3rd grade), Mr. Cochran [[Gym), Mrs Ottinger [[Music), Mrs Harcourt [[4th grade), Mrs Schultz [[5th grade), and Mrs Brightwell [[6th grade). I remember all of them well. It was, I would say, a very good school, with good teachers. The principal's name, if I remember right, was Mr. Pavsner.
There was the janitor, whom the teachers would call "Mr. Dyer," but we kids knew as "Lester." He was crossing guard at Buffalo & Charles, the busiest intersection. His perpetual joke was to call the little kids "grandpa and "grandma." He would come around and wind/adjust the wall clocks. When he had to mop up some puke on the floor, he would first bend over and pretend to smell it, which the older kids found amusing. We could relate to him.
Anyone else here attend that school?
pictures
The White Bugle was the school newspaper
My mother went to school there in the 1930's and my brother and me went there from the period 1955-6 to 1960-61.
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pictures
We all recited the Pledge of Allegiance every day.
AlanF: One of the names you have in your “best friends” list is Frishcosy. Eleanor Frishcosy was in my class and we graduated together in January 1961 as shown in the White Bugle image I posted and she was the class president. She had a younger sister Kathy and an older sister Elizabeth. I was also on the safety and air raid patrol and I still have the certificates of service.
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