Читать книгу Becoming a Counselor - Samuel Gladding T., Samuel T. Gladding - Страница 37

When I was in high school, semester exams were given during a time when other classes were suspended. There was a 3-hour block in the morning from 9 a.m. to noon and a 3-hour block in the afternoon from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. On January 20, 1961, at the midpoint of my junior year, I had a rather easy exam on a Friday morning. I finished early, and rather than hang around school I walked home to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before returning for the rest of the day. The distance from Decatur High School to the Gladding house was a little over a mile, and even at a leisurely pace I made it home in about 20 minutes.

Rather than eat in the breakfast room, I took my sandwich and a glass of milk to the dining room and turned on the television. It was slightly after noon, and to my surprise all the stations were carrying the same program: the inauguration of John F. Kennedy as the 35th President of the United States. I liked Kennedy, so I sat down and watched. Before he made his speech and was sworn in, other dignitaries and invited guests either prayed or said a few words. The one I remember most was Robert Frost. He had written a poem for the occasion but had a hard time reading it because of the sun and the wind. It was a bitterly cold day in DC. I felt sorry for him but applauded Kennedy’s taste in having him as a part of the ceremony. Frost visited Decatur’s Agnes Scott College every year, so I knew all the “Scotties” were tuned in. He was a local hero as well as a famous poet.

When the inauguration ended, I had just enough time to walk back to the high school. That was the first time I witnessed an important historical event. Although high school examinations were important, what I learned that day did not come from a book.