There’s been a lot of discussion on the alumni newsletter email lists about the “ugly” (OK, I think someone called them “hideous”) uniforms the girls had to wear for physical education class.
I found this picture of Coach Jane Womack demonstrating the finer points of serving a volleyball to a couple of students. They have their names on the uniforms, but I couldn’t quite make them out. Maybe someone can identify them.
Those uniforms aren’t exactly “hideous”
These must have been a later, more compassionate version, because even I remember something that was a cross between bloomers and a bag that the girls were forced to wear.
I’ll keep looking for the other uniforms. Ladies, how much would you pay me to lose THOSE negatives?
UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE!
The girls have been identified. Here’s the whole story.
Love Mrs. Womack, had her for both PE & Government! Had Ms. Helen Towse (sp?) probably my freshman year….remember one day I had stuffed M & M’s in my pocket & with one of the exercises they scattered all over the gym floor….don’t remember what the consequences were, other than I got plenty of exercise hustling to pick them up!!! The uniforms were tolerable, unbecoming to the best of shapes. My problem was gym socks, my Mom was continually buying me gym socks & the basket girls would give them out to friends who forgot theirs….I was always the one that got my grade docked for not having socks….I guess mine were always new & white which made them highly visible for friend loans in the basket room…integrity was not a job requirement for the position of basket room personel, I’m sorry to say….
Both the students are CHS ’66. Roseanne Hecht (center) and Joni Tickel. I’m gonna guess this was freshman year, 1962-63.
I believe this is a photo of Roseanne Hecht and Joni Tickel (1966) and there is no way either of them ever looked anything other than nice, even in the so called hideous gym suits.
The picture is great of Jane Womack, Roseanne Hecht and Joni Sue Tickel. Actually, all three “girls” look nice! This version of the required PE Uniform looks cute on these two cute girls. In my four years at CHS (’60-’64), I remember a uniform similar to theirs–really not that bad. Mainly we girls mainly griped about the shower thing, and not wanting our hair and make-up to get messed up.
Sheila
Great photo of Jane Womack and the two gals in their gym suits. That particular model of the
gym suit was not as offensive as the previous one which did look more like what one would
call “bloomers”. Jane Womack is a great gal and is STILL teaching at CHS.
Just some picky name corrections…Ellen Towse (not Helen) and Rosanne Hecht (not Roseanne). I can’t imagine that you aren’t featuring those lovely, reversible gym shirts that young men were required to buy…black and orange. Hold that Tiger! Keep up the great work.
Thanks Cory….my bad ….she was a good teacher & good friend of my Uncle Jim Parker’s in his young years & after he returned to Cape to the University….he’s still living but I believe Ms. Towse is deceased…some of his art work that he had gifted her, I ran across several years back in an antique store on Broadway…just assuming she is deceased…do you know?
Cory, Thanks for the heads-up about the spelling of Rosanne’s name. I have a follow-up story I’ll post today and I had picked up the bad spelling.
Libby, Miss Towse, whose full name was Lucy Ellen Towse, died Feb. 9, 1992. She was 77.
You can read The Missourian obit here: http://tinyurl.com/TowseObit
Libby Koch, I don’t think I know you I am class of 63 but you said Jim Parker is your Uncle and he was a dear friend of my parents. I, too, had some of his paintings that I remember as a child but I can no longer find them. Breaks my heart. I remember what they looked like. One was a little dutch looking girl with long blonde pig tails and the other was of some beautiful purple iris. To this day I love purple iris because of that picture. I was a freshmen in HS when Miss Jane came to teach PE. We adored her but gave her a hard time. Not as bad though as we were to Lucy Ellen! My kids had Jane in HS and I still see her quite often. She is ate up with being Grandma to 3 boys. Love the picture, Ken, thanks!
A friend just forwarded these comments about Jane/Ms Towse and the gym suit. I was more impressed what was said about our GREAT teachers (Towse and Womack) As a former student and teacher at CHS, it’s always great to remember positive things about people/things that had an influence in our lives
Random question: I am starting my own blog to share my photography experiences. Do you find it hard or easy to post consistently?
It’s easy.
A newspaper columnist described the process of writing a daily column: you insert a piece of blank paper in a typewriter, then sit there until drops of blood form on your forehead.