One of those zits is a mole. Honest.

And man, what is it with me and plaid sport coats!? At least the plaid is a bit smaller than the sixth grade picture. Still, ugly as homemade sin though (me, the coats, whatever). Here's a clue for you all, this was taken the year Jethro Tull's "Thick as a Brick" was released.

Back in those days, we didn't have yearbook or class pictures taken every school year like they do now. I think I might have one other "professional portrait" from fourth grade maybe. I'll see if I can find it and post it. Other than that, this one and my "senior" portrait posted earlier, I have just one other - and that is my real senior portrait. I post-graduated - stayed an additional year (jocks usually do this to get one more year of high school football in - growth and experience - before playing college ball. I did it to get in some additional art classes. I went to a Vo-Tech school for Commercial Art my Junior and Senior years - half days - and missed a lot of what my High School had to offer).

Regretfully, I don't seem to have much of my work from Junior High School (and really, not much earlier than the stuff in my previous post from Senior High at that). And nothing from the Jr. High school newsletter. Dad had some water damage in his attic and my old stuff was lost.

These "Class Notables" were originally done for the school newspaper (again, which I don't have), but were reprinted in the yearbook (which, obviously, I do). Mr. (Joseph?) Wolfer, an English teacher, was the faculty adviser for the newspaper. I can't remember a thing he taught in class, but I will always remember his kindness to a painfully shy, chunky kid with a speech impediment... who had no identity or self-esteem (or hope for identity and self-esteem) other than he could draw half-well. In a future blog, I will go into more deserved detail about influential teachers.

You will recall that they took my Sr. High School and made it a Jr. High School (consolidating with the High School across town). My Jr. High School they tore down and put up a grocery store (and my Grade School they tore down "and put up a parking lot". At least my college still exists - and it doing great!).


...okay, I found them. And I am wearing a plaid shirt for Pete's sake! Like I said, maybe fourth - or maybe the fifth - grade.

In the senior portrait, the coat and tie are both borrowed (and, I don't know, maybe the shirt is too). In the other "senior" portrait - again, posted at an earlier date - the coat and tie were borrowed there as well. That shirt was mine. I was all for wearing a t-shirt and my jean jacket (in both), but the photographer would have none of it. His studio was in a strip mall, and he would take guys devoid of a coat and tie down the mall and borrow them from a clothing store. The girls tended to like getting dressed up and didn't need such hand-held encouragement. I do take satisfaction in knowing that, in both senior pictures, I am rebelliously wearing jeans and sneakers. I found another picture... even goofier, with me wearing the obligatory cap and gown. That can just stay in the box, alright? That is a blessing none of us deserves.