High School started for me in 1966 at Curtis, which at that time was 9th grade feeder school for Fenger. I transferred to Fenger in '67 and graduated in 1970.

I have fond memories of the place. In my junior and senior years I worked for the driver's education program, taught out of trailer near the football field, working with the phys. ed teachers who moonlighted teaching driver's ed. My job was to keep all the cars gassed-up and washed and my schedule was arranged so I got out of classes at lunch period. I than had 10-12 different cars to drive around ranging from a VW bug to a Buick Electra. Sometimes I'd need to drive across the city to swap cars at dealers. A dream job for a HS kid.

I was a member of the Band and my older brother and I were the tuba section for the two years we overlapped there. Thanks to the expert musicianship and mentoring of "Coach" Lombrazo we'd go to the city band finals. The marching band wasn't very flashy in uniforms or footwork but we'd play at football games - including a couple city championship games - and parades downtown over the holiday and St. Patricks. I was also involved with student council and help with the planning for homecoming / prom etc.

In '68 the South Side, like many other places, was a racial powder keg. More than once there confrontations between black and white troublemakers congregated on opposite sides of the school with the cops in the middle. I just steered clear and tried to get along with everyone.

I moved from Chicago to the Washington, DC area in 1972 and haven't been back since 1978.