85. Spring Sports, Dates and Dances

The spring of 1947 was a time for spring sports, dating and dancing for Nancy and me growing up in Gettysburg as sophomores in high school

The 1947 baseball season was a first for Gettysburg High School since 1936, and it began with a 10-6 convincing win over Shippensburg on the home field. Our classmate, Ronnie Kump who went on to play professional baseball, went 2-4 with a home run in the fourth inning.

The Gettysburg track team began the season with a win over nine Class A schools in the Shippensburg State Teachers College Invitational. Throughout the season, I participated in the 110 yard low hurdles with success and the high jump and broad jump with a few victories.

In the spring of 1947, Nancy participated in a softball program sponsored by the Girls Athletic Association and a club team sponsored by a Youth Group,

Nancy’s diary for 1947 reveals that In March of that year, she asked a boy to the Leap Week Dance and then the  Sadie Hawkns Day Dance the following Saturday. Nothing shy about this sophomore girl. In May, the same boy invited Nancy to be his date at the Spring Prom. Incidentally, this classmate just happened to be the boy she played Post Office with back in February at a Valentine’s Party.

Undoubtedly, Nancy danced to songs by the most popular singers in the Spring of 1947 who were Vaughn Monroe, Dick Haymes, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Nancy’s favorite, Perry Como. We still hear their music on several channels on Sirius Radio.