Another year and our children are growing rapidly. Cindy Le Fevre, dorm parent, from North House would often help me manage the two little ones. Our eldest son Stuart was friendly with Mrs. Perrin’s son Jesse and one day Mrs. Perrin and I received a call from the headmaster Dr. Menagh requesting us to come for a meeting with him. Apparently Jesse and Stuart were riding around campus on their bikes – that was not the problem – they were riding around with their pet rats on their shoulders, much to the concern of some girls on campus. We were asked that they cease this activity!! For the first time I could empathize with a student being sent to see the head of school. Halloween continued being a highlight for the Reid family and that year we dressed as Pilgrims with our crops of an apple, a pumpkin and a head of sweet corn. I remember Jesse M. one of our international students from North House making one of the most incredible costumes. She made a Greek Traditional costume all made from folded newspaper, including the shoes!! During Thanksgiving the school was closed so we invited Philip and Doug, to share dinner with us. They were kitchen workers who lived in “The Cottage” which is now the health center. Helen Patton, who was an R.A. during the summer, and her friend also joined us. We celebrated another birthday with Andrew in November which the students enjoyed. Once again Boar’s Head activities were great and in 1983 Mr. Reid was a monk! The Nutcracker was and continues to be for me the herald for the Christmas Season and I so enjoyed watching our dancers take part. The 1983 yearbook had many pen and ink illustrations by Libby E. and the next year she became our dorm president. Easter was late that year and it was the first time in my life that I celebrated Easter with SNOW on the ground! I experienced another first that year. One Sunday morning a student came running to our apartment to say that one of our students had fainted in the kitchen. This was my one and only call for an ambulance. She was breathing okay but had a slow pulse. All was well – just not had breakfast or anything to drink – and she was sent back to school after being thoroughly checked. I always like reading senior pages and Eve L. wrote a lovely quote on her senior page when she graduated.
“There is no duty we underrate so much as the duty of being happy.”Robert Louis Stevenson.”So be Happy.” Yes, I was and am very happy at WHS.
