Supper at the Captain's Table - Friday, April 21, 1961

A wonderful supper at the Captain's Table was a perfect finish to an otherwise starving day, food-wise. In the first place I didn't eat enough breakfast. Nine kids from the Honor Society and Mr. Brown were there. I had fried chicken. New Honor Society members are seniors: Bob Parcell, Judy Johnson, Fred Miller, Shirley Slaubaugh; juniors: Bob Swartzendruber and Connie Brown. We made final plans for the initiation tonight. Well, I got my research paper finished. It is such a relief to have it over. I was ready to drop all day because of tiredness. By the way, I'll get $100.00 per semester aid at Park since Mom's a teacher. 

Neck and Neck - Thursday, April 20, 1961

Boy, the research paper deadline and I ran neck and neck today. I wondered for a while there if it was going to win, but now I believe maybe I finally am. I had play practice on top of it all. Gersh, I backed into the post on my way out of the driveway tonight! Guess everything's still intact. Virginia had a junior high band concert at Chester tonight. An a capella choir from Sioux Falls sang at school this afternoon. They were good. 

Homework Challenges - Wednesday, April 19, 1961

Here I am in one of those big jams again. On my research paper I have three parts to finish yet. Space filling isn't so easy, but so far I've managed to end each filler on the right line. Footnotes, outline, bibliography and page numbers to do then. Plus ten chapters of A Tale of Two Cities to read by Friday. I wanted to get straight A's for this nine weeks - ha! We had a class meeting today.

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.