Previous posts in this series can be found here.

My grandmother, Mary Lucile Crowe (Mary Lou) attended Emmerich Manual Training High School in Indianapolis from 10th grade (1940) to 12th grade (1943).  The school itself was enormous.  As beautiful as the building is, I can’t imagine attending school there – I would surely get lost!  This is a current picture of the building that used to house the school.  It moved to a newer (ugly) building around 1953.

Fortunately, she kept all of her report cards from high school.  They came into my possession like this:

There might be a total of 1 inch worth of substance holding that entire envelope together.  Once I took the cards out, this is what I had:

During her first official year of high school (she also attended Junior High here), Mary Lou took the standard courses of literature, composition, algebra, physical education, but also took Latin, shorthand, typing, and (again) health & safety.  She did well with the shorthand, but the typing … not so much.  She didn’t miss one day of school.

  

Her second year of high school was pretty much the same as the first, again with no missed days:

I note the addition of U.S. History and “Business Training” and the absence of Latin, P.E., health & safety, and algebra.  I also note that her grades improved somewhat – even typing starting improving the last half of the year!

Her Senior Year in high school appears to have been much easier with fewer, perhaps easier, classes.

They added such courses as household science, salesmanship, and office training.  But the last half of the year shows a course I can’t quite figure out: Mach. [something].  I’m pretty sure the first word means “machine” but I can’t tell what the second word is – if anyone is familiar with it, please let me know.

As is common in high school, there was a dance at the school (maybe prom, I’m not sure) during Mary Lou’s senior year.  This is where she met THE ONE.  I’m not entirely sure how it happened, but I picture two people locking eyes across a crowded room, and all else fades away until they are the only two people in the universe (cue the sappy music) …

Here’s the real scoop: My grandfather, John Joseph Gallagher, was in the Army and happened to be on leave in Indianapolis with an Army buddy.  His buddy invited him to come with him to his old high school one evening.  He said they were having a dance and he was going to see some of his old friends.  My grandfather agreed.  But he had grown up in Ridgefield, New Jersey – where they only had one high school – so he didn’t think to ask his friend which high school.  As fate would have it, my grandfather accidentally showed up at Emmerich on the same night my grandmother was attending the dance.  The rest is history (and will be told in later blog posts).  I can’t help but think that if he had gone to the intended school, I wouldn’t even be here.  Thank you, fate.

Mary Lou was recognized for her efforts throughout high school with a certificate for perfect attendance for all four years.

There’s no certificate for her pre-high school years, but I’m pretty sure my grandmother never missed a day of school.  I vaguely remember her talking about it when I was younger, but I probably blew it off as a failed attempt to make me want to go to school all the time.

Mary Lou’s education culminated on June 9, 1943 when she graduated from high school, receiving this diploma:

Next: Goin’ to the chapel …

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Check out these other posts for the complete saga of my grandmother’s life.

My grandmother, Mary Lucile Crowe, attended Junior High at Charles E. Emmerich Manual Training High School from 1939 to 1940 (apparently only 9th grade was considered Junior High).  The first portion of the year, from September 1939 through January 1940, she attended classes in literature, composition, history, Latin, foods (?), physical education, and health & safety.  Gramma was a fairly decent student.  Not straight As, but she didn’t miss a day.  I don’t think she was a big fan of health and safety.

Again, I have the signatures of both of her parents on the card!

A couple of other things are interesting about this particular record.  It confirms the address where they lived at the time of the 1940 census.  Another thing that I find interesting, but not surprising, is that they did not have a phone.  This is pure speculation on my part, but my great grandfather worked as an auto mechanic during that time, earning about $150 per month.  They lived in a rented home and paid $20 each month for that.  With four children between the ages of 13 and 18, the country just crawling out from the depression, and WWII bearing down, money was probably spread a little too thin to spend it on something as frivolous as a telephone.

In any case, my grandmother is the only person I know who could make an A+ in Latin.

The second half of the year, “foods” was replaced with “clothing,” but everything else remained the same.  History grades improved as did health & safety, but Latin suffered a hit.  So, Gramma is human after all.

Probably the most interesting part of her report card was the back.You just don’t see anything like this anymore.  Actually placing the responsibility of studying on the student?  The horror!  And … no such thing as an F.  You either made a C or better, or you repeated the class.  And no honor roll for A.  You had to make an A+ to qualify.

High school is WAY more exciting … coming up!

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My grandmother, Mary Lucile Crowe (Mary Lou) attended grammar school at St. Catherine Catholic School in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Unfortunately, the only record I have from her time there is her 8th grade report card.

   

There is so much that is awesome about this, I hardly even know where to begin.  First, she was pretty smart.  Look at those grades!  Not much room for error with the grading standards those days.  By today’s standards, she would have been almost a straight-A student.  It does not surprise me that she made straight As in hygiene, but it’s clear to me now where my artistic “talent” came from …  Second, this is an original document.  My grandmother held it in her hand, and her parents held it in their hands.  How cool is that?

On the back of the card is space for her parents to sign at the end of each six-week period, which they did, so now I have their actual signatures. That’s pretty darn exciting!  Oh, and did you notice the message to parents?  ”Be generous in commending sincere effort and satisfactory progress”  and “any mark lower than C should be made a matter of immediate inquiry.”  Don’t see that anymore.  Sister Marie Bernadette (teacher AND principal) signed her Certificate of Promotion to “first year.”  Not sure what that means.

She graduated from eighth grade on June 11, 1939 by her “proficiency in scholarship and integrity of character.”  Good girl, Gramma.

Next … Junior High!

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