School Closings

The other day the news reported that Detroit is going to close over 40 schools next year.  One of the schools on the list is Cooley High School.  Wow.  I really thought that school would still be here through the millenium.
My two older brothers graduated from Cooley.  My mom and I attended their graduation ceremony.  I was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the building.  Then I had to take a summer school class at Cooley during my jr.high years.
Mom would drop me off on Hubbell in front of Cooley and I would have to walk through the courtyard and into the 3 story building.  It was constructed of light orange bricks that made the building somehow seem like a cathedral.  The stairwells were huge with stone steps.  (I know, I fell UP them a few times.)
When I finally graduated to high school, it was Cooley I attended. There were over 3,000 students in three grades - 10th, 11th and 12th.  There were at least 6 counselors for the students.  We were dividedld  by alphabetical order for the counselors.
Before school started, I would get a map of the layout of the building so I wouldn't get lost going from class to class.  The school was so crowded that we had several temporary buildings that held classrooms.
If it weren't for the horrible race problems, I would have graduated from Cooley, too.  It's a beautiful school with a rich history.

Scarlet Fever

I was 12 years old and June was about 9 months old. We both got very, very ill. Our parents were concerned more with June than with me because of our ages.
Our bishop was a pediatrician, so my folks called him up to see what was wrong. He looked at June and said it looked as though she had the measles, not to worry too much. But Mom and Daddy were still worried. June was too sick for this to be just a simple case of measles - and I already had the measles, but I had the same thing.
Mom called the doctor and was told they didn't want a contagious child in the waiting room. They could wait in the car and a nurse would come out to get them when the Dr. was ready. I remember Daddy was furious about that.
I don't remember much about the 2 weeks that I was sick. I remember getting out of bed and laying on the couch. I slept a lot, didn't eat too much and had a high fever. I had red spots, then developed fever sores around my mouth.
I don't know when we were diagnosed with scarlet fever. When I finally got well enough to sit up and eat, I was weak. Daddy convinced me to try to walk tot he store with him. I made it about a block before I had to head home. Daddy's arm was firmly around my shoulder. He kept encouraging me to go a little further but I was SO tired.
After I went back to school June got even sicker. The doctor put her in Children's Hospital in Detroit. Her ear drums had burst. She got a priesthood blessing.
June's hearing was totally restored. She has not had any problems with her ears at all. She did, however, have a rapid heartbeat from the time she was a little girl to after the birth of her first child. She went to U of M Medical Center and had an outpatient surgery that repaired that problem.
I don't think I had any ill affects from scarlet fever. I really don't remember much about myself at all. I just remember my parents concern over their small baby. I guess I should be happy that my parents had the faith that I would pull through unscathed - which I did.