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Born in England, I came to America in 1957. We
settled in a neighborhood south of Davie Boulevard and
west of 15th Avenue. Hortt Elementary was the first
American school I attended. I remember that the
office was an old converted home that sat on the
property with portable classroom buildings close by.
In 1958 (my 6th grade year), the site was cleared to make
way for a new facility. While the new school was
being built, Hortt Elementary temporarily moved to the
Fort Lauderdale Naval Air Station. We attended classes
there for the entire school year. By the time
graduation arrived, the new building was ready for us to
hold our commencement exercises in the cafetorium. I
still have the program from that event. Click here to see it.
I remember the custodian Mr. Roy Dell. He was a
kind man, a retired railroad engineer I think. He
chewed tobacco and kept a mandolin hanging on the wall
in his office. If I remember correctly, he was from
Indiana. We were all very sad when he passed
away during the 1958-59 school year. My 5th grade
teacher was Mrs. Betty LaVake. She was a wonderful
lady and later became a personal friend of my mom. For
some unknown reason, she resigned halfway through the
school year. We had several replacements, among
them a Mr. Keith who claimed to have played trumpet in
Harry James' orchestra. One day, much to our delight,
Mrs. LaVake returned as our teacher. She went on
to teach at Hortt for several more years. My 6th
grade teacher was Mr. Louis Teets. Several years ago I was able
to locate him living in Clearwater, Florida. He
was 84 years old at the time. He didn't seem to
remember me (I was surprised about that because I
thought I had distinguished myself by being in trouble
all the time!) Mr. Teets held a doctorate in
something or another. He unexpectedly resigned midway
through the school year. A man named
Mr. Higginbotham took his place. After a month or so, he
also resigned. Mrs. Elizabeth Eggleton
finished out the school year as our teacher. Mr. Teets bears
the distinction of being the most memorable and
influential teacher I ever had!
There was an occasion when I was visiting Fort
Lauderdale back in the early 1970's when I drove by the
old Naval Air Station to see if it was still there.
To my surprise, everything was intact - just as I
remembered it! The facility was
abandoned, but I was able to get inside to have a look
at my old 6th grade classroom. Some changes had taken place,
but it was still recognizable! Many a memory came to
mind as I strolled around the room, and for a brief
moment, I was young again! The old Naval Air
Station is long gone. The site is now occupied by an
industrial park. |
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