First Communions Past, Third Round

Okay, just a couple of more things: First, the Joplin, Missouri newspaper clipping for my first communion, from either the Joplin Globe, (morning paper, still being published) or the old Joplin News Herald (evening paper, long gone). Unfortunately, my cousin Linda Sue Hendricks appears here as Linda Sue Henderson. And speaking as a professional editor, I note immediately the "at at St. Mary's" in the headline. (Click on the image to read it.)

I am intrigued by how many of these people stayed with me through high school. Besides Linda, there is Jane Meyer, whom I took to the freshman Christmas dance (my first offiicial "date"), Diane Lichty, Pat Randall, Steve Patterson, Richard Baine, Mike Ellison, Leonard Orcutt -- some of these were a year ahead of me but stayed in Joplin and the Catholic schools -- and "Roddy" Harsh, now Rod, who is still promoting Joplin and Route 66 after years away from it, at his Route 66 Online
site. If the St. Peter's first communion class (there were two parishes in Joplin but we all went to the same grade school) were listed, more of those whom I knew through high school would show up.

Though the clip says we were 7 the dates say we were still first graders, most of us anyway, and the fact that Sister Mary Andrea was in charge confirms this. She was my first grade teacher and lived on into her 90s. She used to visit Linda and her family even, I think, when I was in college.

The other illustration is the record of my first communion from a little booklet given to us at the time. Again, click to read.