Smith Christmas 1970
Family pictures of the holiday with Hugh, Verda, Rick and Gale (and Spanky).
Gale Smith
Gale high school pics
I ran across a few pictures from high school. They aren’t in great condition, but I wanted to post them.
My 15th and 16th birthdays
Our street after the first snow in 1968 — taken from our front yard.
After attending every softball game I ever played I was informed after the Powder Puff game dad would never attend another. It was supposed to be flag football, but the upper classmen started tackling so it turned into a free-for-all that I enthusiastically participated it. I had a great time, but dad was less than enthralled with my unladylike behavior.
I missed the first month of my senior year when we all took a long vacation out to California. After an initial stop in Colorado so Rick could visit Sandi, we went through Utah, Nevada, California, back across Texas and then north to home. This is from Disneyland, hence the ears.
A picture of me after I won a speech tournament my senior year.
Senior prom with the dress I made.
This technically isn’t high school. I didn’t turn 18 until I started my freshman year of college and Spanky was my birthday present from the guy I was dating at the time. Mom and dad were livid I’d gotten a dog for a gift. The guy knew I wanted a beagle puppy more than anything, so that’s what he got. I guess dad got over it…
Gale’s hand drawn cartoons from high school
My mother kept the original and the full 11 x 14 has a link at the bottom of this post. Since I have a normal desktop scanner the art had to scanned in two pieces and then put back together in Photoshop. This is practice for the enormous engagement portraits of mom and dad.
I was struck how these cartoons really captured the essence of who I was and how I felt then and even now so I broke them apart into separate images for posting here.
Top left corner — let the sun shine in. My living area walls are painted what I call the color of sun light so nothing has changed with my feelings about this one.
Next came a commentary on controlling men. Something I didn’t agree with then and I don’t agree with now.
Top right was how I felt about the people who controlled me and how I was always fed the line that it can’t be helped. You know — if you don’t want to hurt people, then don’t do it. Don’t tell them it can’t be helped.
But underneath everything I had a happy heart so I loved this Snoopy cartoon.
Sometimes “oh boy” is all you can say about life…
My belief that somethings not even magic can fix no matter how much you wish it could. Still feel that way.
I absolutely loved the little caveman in BC cartoons. He wasn’t the brightest thing, but he was cute. I added the leash and caption to the second one and there are still a lot of people I’d like to ask that question of including the person in the mirror.
And I didn’t feel I was born with very good luck… I think now it’s not so much about luck, but about attitude however.
Nothing has changed here. I still hate being nagged and I absolutely hate nagging. If you have to badger someone what’s the point? But I was caught between two generations of naggers — my mom’s skills seemed to pass directly to Josh undiminished. Note I penciled in “shame” on the apron.
And last but not least. I felt lonely in my family, I felt lonely at school, I felt lonely all the time and this little guy summed it up.
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Cartoon from Mamie Elton
Mom sent this cartoon to me the day Josh was born and addressed to the hospital. On the back was a note
Gale – your grandmother sent this to me the day you were born
I’ve attached a PDF at the bottom of the cartoon and mom’s note. I hope Stacey and Brandy may continue the tradition and mail it to their daughters on the day of the birth of their first child.
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