Student Council

These were, by and large, really great kids. I felt warmly toward several of them, even then. Much more so, now, in retrospect, interestingly enough. If I had it to do over again, I’d have tried to learn younger to respect and value non-Mormons. Don’t know that anybody ever intentionally taught me to mistrust and devalue my non-LDS fellows, but somehow I was truly a dreadful little sectarian, in those days. Repentance goes on.

Student Council is perhaps the clearest example of an activity that I undertook ONLY because of very directive guidance from the powers that were. Dr Bailey made it clear that I was to run for office. Not for just any old office, but for Director of Domain (whatever that was). Against my old elementary-school pal Salvador (“Buddy”) Escobar. Lacking the assertiveness to refuse, I ran. And lost. Substantially, as I recall.

Which gave Dr Bailey an excuse to appoint me “Commissioner of Special Events, ” which basically put me in charge of the annual Country Fair. Which I ran, I guess, although I retain no concrete recollection of it. Also had to put together a banquet meeting for some external visitors, perhaps school-board types. Arranged for them to feast on lobster Newburg. Got a nice letter of commendation from Dr Bailey out of that.

But mainly, all this meant that I could put “Student Council” on my college applications. Which was a good thing, I suppose.

Student Council membership also entitled me, as it turns out, to study Government (a California graduation requirement) under the direct tutelage of Kenneth P Bailey. Which I do remember as one of the most stimulating segments of my secondary schooling. Dr Bailey was a Democrat and a non-“Mormon” . Talk about two and a half strikes against you, when it came to incurring my snotty young respect and regard! But he always had both, along with genuine affection.

And not just from me. Tell me, how many high-school administrators of your acquaintance (or anybody else, for that matter) have walked into a room and received a spontaneous standing ovation from a random collection of students? Didn’t happen every time, but I witnessed it more than once. A lot of us really did appreciate his leadership. Our principal wasn’t just a pretty face.

I also remember the day of the Big Snow, which hit while we were in class. Over the loudspeakers, we heard Dr Bailey’s voice: “Now hear this! Now hear this! This is your Captain speaking! School will be dismissed at noon, and your Captain will meet you on the front lawn.” When we emerged, the principal had built a snow-fort, from which he returned the surrounding student body’s enthusiastic snowball fire.

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