In combing through a lot of vintage pictures looking for good illustrations for a piece I’m writing, I sometimes come across an interesting picture that tells a story beyond the obvious. For instance, the marching sailors above were on parade in a 1908 Santa Barbara festival as a part of the United States Navy Great White Fleet trip around the world President Teddy Roosevelt had ordered.
The hidden story in the picture that amused me is centered on the 2 sailors marked as being out of step with the rest. Closer inspection of the expressions on their faces show their amusement…the lead sailor is shifting his step causing the trailing sailor to shift his step to keep in sync. That sort skylarking can ripple down an entire file of marching military men, and takes place more commonly than you might think.
The 1961 Clan Pan-Am Club picture below suggests a different story. Carol Reeder’s expression tells the story that no one else in the picture knew…there’s some goofing off going on there. Felton Havins was probably up to something; he was a high energy sort, a cheerleader, and a bit of joker. Wonder what was going on?
Others in the picture are Mrs. Charlotte Ballard and Mr. John Psomas in the back row; both were Spanish teachers. Mrs. Ballard taught English also. From the bottom up are Mildred Eppes, Becky Welch, Jim Anders, Carol Reeder, Felton Havins, Dana Gant, Judy Wimbish, and Bob Hart.
Adios
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