Burt Lancaster and Liz Taylor Win Oscars - Tuesday, April 18, 1961

Tonight I went to play practice and Phyllis went with Betty, Linda, Sharon and Martha to see "The World of Suzie Wong." (Oscars last night went to Burt Lancaster and Liz Taylor for the best actor and actress.) Virginia was in Mt. Pleasant for a junior high band festival with Washington and Mt. Pleasant. They were an hour or more late getting back because a highway patrolman stopped the bus for not having any lights.

Discovery of Element 103 - Monday, April 17, 1961

I just got back from play practice. I'm finally getting used to the idea of driving over there by myself. Gee, though. We're still using books. If she would just tell us to memorize--I'd do it. But I seem to have to be told. I'm glad it got warmer. That sound of the wind was getting monotonous. I guess I'll stay up to watch some of the Oscar awards while I set my hair. Also last Wednesday they discovered element 103. They think they'll name it Lawrencium (Lw) after the founder of the cyclotron and the special laboraties at the University of California.

Criminology Paper Has Reached 26 Pages - Sunday, April 16, 1961

After typing every spare moment all weekend on my research paper, I have 26 pages. I thought I had 20 a while ago, and I surely typed more than six pages. Oh well, it's long enough anyway, but I sure hope I haven't lost any. Brrr! It sure is cold. It's worse now than it was for most of the winter. Virginia, Mary, Ruth and Vicky sang as a quartet for church. I didn't do any other homework. It's time to start learning play lines. If Mrs. Kephart had us we wouldn't be using books now.

Urie Gagarin Has Circled the Earth - Saturday, April 15, 1961

Phyllis and I helped this morning with the West Chester part of the FHA bake sale. We just made $21.50 compared to the $45.00 the youth fellowship made. We had to help move calves across the road before we went up. I stayed home from town this afternoon to do my research paper. I had to jump up about every five minutes to put wood in (or check) the stoves, but they liked the feeling of coming home to a nice warm house. Oh, by the way. On Wednesday a Russian astronaut, Urie Gagarin, became the first man in the world to circle the earth in a space capsule. It took 68 minutes. He "landed on both feet" upon his return. Columbus, the Wright Brothers, and Gagarin.

Bake Sale Issues - Friday, April 14, 1961

I just got a little bit done on my research paper. I spent most of the evening making caramel candy and frosting a boughten angel food cake (our oven won't work) for our FHA bake sale tomorrow. Each town is having one, and here [the president] took off for the weekend to visit Drake. The weather report's for cold weather and Mr. Jones "predicted" snow. I feel pretty proud of myself so far about my chemistry test. I surely got at least a B.

Play Practice Turns into Spring Fever - Thursday, April 13, 1961

Play practice again tonight and what a riot. When they weren't on stage they jumped rope with jump ropes and with the tennis net. They went downtown to get pop, but it was kind of warm. Virginia set my hair last night. I just hope I can do half as good tonight. A stupid mistake caused me to miss one of the three chemistry problems he gave me. Grr! Mom had a check-up after school at the doctor's. She's okay. It was real nice today.

Halogens Unit is More to Liking - Wednesday, April 12, 1961

Tonight we had choir practice and youth fellowship. I did Phyl's FHA bake sale posters for her during choir. I worked on my chemistry review exercise. I've gotten the most out of this Halogens unit of any for a long time. But if we have a test on weight-weight, weight-volume, and volume-volume (as has been hinted for two days) I'm liable to spoil my record--fairly good so far. I ate dinner with Mary Ellen and Billie early so we could type yearbook pages at noon. We're reading A Tale of Two Cities in English class. I like it.