Bean Hill And Central High

John Bush was raised in Martinsburg and graduated from Central High in 1961. He spent most of his adult life in the Pacific Northwest. He has many memories as a boy in the 1950s that give some insight to the people and culture of Martinsburg in the 1950s. John likes to tell stories and over the years he has repeated the stories of his youth many times. His belief is that those years in Martinsburg influenced him all of his life. Some of the stories are historical in nature, some are colorful, and some are personal. He wishes that you enjoy them.

Consolidation of school districts into one high school (Central) beginning in 1960 had been discussed and planned for several years. For most students from Cove High, there wasn’t much thought about the changes until they arrived for classes in the fall of 1960. Students from Roaring Spring and East Freedom had the biggest adjustments because they now had to ride the bus for much longer distances to a building in Martinsburg. Morrison Cove High students had watched the new building being constructed from Bean Hill over a period of two years and for most, the bus trip was the same.

Many years after the consolidation, some Roaring Spring students admitted they had felt like foreigners. Like Cove High seniors, the Roaring Spring students had mostly the same classmates since seventh grade, and in some cases, since the first grade. For all students there were new teachers they had never heard of, a new principal and many new classmates. It was easy to tell who was from the other school system because you knew all the faces and most of the names from your old high school.

Most students from Cove High had lived in a vacuum and were relatively unaware of the long, sometimes controversial disagreements and compromises that were made between the school districts. Over the years, I heard many comments about the cost of busing and other problems caused by the consolidation. By chance, I met a granddaughter of the first principal at Central. Their family lore was that their grandfather had been recruited as an outsider because of so much in fighting between factions in the school districts. In general, I believe that most of the students hadn’t really thought about it much until they walked in the front door and headed for their home room. The building was modern, bright and clean, at least in comparison to Bean Hill. The music and band room was a great improvement and the gym felt exciting. One trip around the hallways and you basically learned where everything was located, in contrast to the old buildings like Bean Hill which had numerous nooks and crannies. These physical changes had little effect; it was the social changes that were the most important.

Dating in high school often becomes a priority for many, but not all students. Suddenly there was an influx of new students of the opposite sex. Group dynamics had begun to change already because some students were already dating and going steady. Girls going steady announced their status by wearing the boy’s ring on a thin gold necklace chain. The new influx of classmates seemed to accelerate the process. Otherwise, old cliques from each district still hung together with some additions and subtractions, but I do not recall any physical altercations between groups. I do, however, recall an occasional remark about how he or she is dating someone from Roaring Spring. Band members seemed to get along well and some of the cool guys from both schools formed new clicks, but when not practicing, the old groups for the most part hung out together. Many boy-girl relationships began that first year and quite a few later led to marriage.

The band was an instant success, but the basketball and football teams struggled due in part to playing in higher level leagues. Cove High did not have a football program, so only a few boys were ready or able to compete. However, a couple of close, long-term friendships were made between football players from the different schools. Both school districts had good basketball players and there was a reasonable balance between starting and reserve players from both districts. Some of those players went on to play college ball, but for some reason the team didn’t mesh or wasn’t ready for the steeper competition. There were rumors that when it came to passing or setting up another player, individuals sometimes favored their old teammates.

I did not do well my year at Central, although I didn’t recognize it until many years later. Except for the band, I did not join any organized groups, did not date, and did not attend many school events. I had been the class clown and the center of attention at Bean Hill and maybe I was lost in the maze of new classmates. There were probably many other reasons, which are not important at this point in time. Besides the cross school dating, there was some boys who mixed with boys from the other schools. Tom Tompson (Digger) sometimes hung out with my group, especially during band events. I was one of those who stuck to my old familiar groups from Bean Hill. Friday and Saturday nights were spent at the movies, bowling, miniature golf with the same boys, if they were not on dates (Harry Brubaker, Bob Davis, Glenn Drake, Steve Dilling, Monty Gerhart, Jim Moose, Bill Resse, and Bob Turner). In addition, at school I also hung out with Dwight Furry, Robert Corle, Wendell Gagahan, Harry Peirson and Bernie Summers who were old classmates from Bean Hill. I learned a lot from them and respected these friends even though we did little together on weekends. I joked around with some of the girls but never asked any out on a date.

I didn’t even pull many pranks during my senior year. Once Bob Turner and I loosened the screws on our home room door and it fell down when Mr. Hummel unlocked it. We were lucky no one got hurt. But for whatever reason or reasons, I retreated from events, including the senior prom.

Graduates from any school tend to talk about the poor or funny teachers they had. I, for example, liked to tell stories at class reunions of my antics which drove some teachers crazy. I was one of the worst students all through high school, I rarely studied, and in my senior year, got lots of 70s for final grades at the end of the year even though I had failed most exams. However, in retrospect, I realize that several teachers from both Central and Cove HIgh taught me some important skills and influenced me in a good way.

Three coaches, Jim Hartman, Sherman Croft and Frank Moore, along with Jack Shaffer, the music director, often spoke to me as a person and not about discipline. Mr. Moore twice pulled me aside in PE class during my senior year and asked me what was bothering me. Perhaps he was the only one to recognize things were not going well. Mr. Croft and Mr. Hartman were the only teachers to write me letters of recommendation for college, because I didn’t dare ask any of the other teachers. Mr. Hummel, Mrs. Stegmaier, and Mr. Porter had us give presentation assignments, which became an important base for college class presentations. Mr. Hartman at Cove High had us each do a poster board presentation, which turned out to be an important communication tool used in my profession. Mr. Hummel discussed world events, had us give presentations and called on students, so I was forced to at least read assignments before class.

Mr. Porter had us do a term paper with references, which I used as a guide for my first paper in college. Mrs. Stegmaier at Cove High had us do book reports, which forced me to go to the Martinsburg Library because I had waited to the last minute to choose a book. I began to read anything I could find that was interesting in place of doing homework. This curiosity fed a necessary requirement later in graduate school. The mixture of so many friends and coping with the new environment at Central also helped. I went to college some 700 miles from home, a big deal for Cove students in those days. I adjusted to the new environment and for several reasons began to buckle down and study. Many students did not try college-- some stayed in the Cove, others left the area shortly after graduation. Whatever they did, I believe the high school experience helped a lot of us to cope and succeed in our post graduation days.

The last day of school at Central in 1961 was marked by an event that has been remembered by many classmates to this day. A dummy was hung on the highest point outside the gym facing the parking lot on the west end. A sign was attached with the vice principal’s name that was visible from the sidewalk near the west end entrance way. I was stopped as I walked past the main office and requested to sit down in the vice principal’s office. A state trooper was there who asked me a lot of questions. I had, by chance, some idea of who was involved but I had nothing to do with the planning or hanging of the dummy and gave up no names. I had spent the determined time line for the hanging with Bill Reese who corroborated my story. My father had been called out the same day to repair some damage to the wiring where the dummy had been hung. He overheard someone saying, “Bush really did it this time!” After a long conversation at dinner, he believed I had nothing to do with the prank.

It is interesting that the Class of 1961 has continued to maintain close ties over the years, including friendships between students from the former school districts. Maybe it had something to do with growing up in the fifties on farms and in small communities.