{"id":5467,"date":"2020-08-09T13:05:38","date_gmt":"2020-08-09T17:05:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=5467"},"modified":"2020-08-09T13:09:00","modified_gmt":"2020-08-09T17:09:00","slug":"episode-91-put-your-warm-and-tender-body-next-to-mine-school-dance-oct-1963","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=5467","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 91 PUT YOUR WARM AND TENDER BODY NEXT TO MINE (School Dance Oct. 1963)"},"content":{"rendered":"
EPISODE  91   PUT YOUR WARM AND TENDER  BODY NEXT TO MINE (school dance, Oc.t 1963<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n
August 9, 2020<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Teen agers did dress  up  for dances but I do  not remember suits and ties on the boys<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Note:  I have told this story many  times but I think it is worth repeating <\/div>\n
now\u2026impact of social distancing  has  changed  so much.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Setting: Parkdale Collegiate Institute, School Dance Oct. 1963<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I was  a new teacher at Parkdale Collegiate in 1963 which  meant I  was only a<\/div>\n
few years older that the senior students. Taught for about 6 weeks.  And that, I believe, was the heart of<\/div>\n
the problem.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cMr. Skeoch,  you along with Alison  Petrie have been assigned as  chaperones<\/div>\n
at the school dance.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cFine.  Any advice?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cJust make sure no one is  smoking inside the school\u2026\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat if I catch a smoker.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThrow him out.\u201d<\/div>\n
(That sounded easier to say than to do.  I did not<\/div>\n
know the students, especially the senior students.)<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
We had  an overflow population at the school in  1963.  The baby boomers boosted the student<\/div>\n
body  from a low of 400 in the 1950\u2019s to a bursting 1,400 by 1963.   So many students that the<\/div>\n
tennis  court and any other space was now filled  with portable classrooms.  Mine was the<\/div>\n
furthest from the school.  Charmingly isolated.  So far away  that most students  did not know<\/div>\n
I was  a  teacher.   Fortunately a few senior students knew me as a  football  coach\u2026new one.<\/div>\n
For most kids, however, I was  an unknown as was  my co-chaperone Alison Petrie.  She was<\/div>\n
very short.  Easily mistaken as  a  student.   <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Marjorie came with me that October evening.  We liked to dance and thought this was  a good<\/div>\n
chance to have fun and show off  a  few of our rock and roll dance steps.   The gymnasium<\/div>\n
was packed  with kids.  Cheek to jowl as it were.  Or, better said, they \u201cput their warm and <\/div>\n
tender bodies next\u201d to each other.   The girls dressed to deliberately entice male admirers…<\/div>\n
short skirts as I remember.   <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Sex seems  to encourage combat among male animals\u2026including male students.  They can<\/div>\n
behave like bull moose in rutting season.   <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
We did not get a chance to dance much that evening.   We were really police officers.<\/div>\n
Who  came to the dance?  Not just our students  but there were lots  of  strangers<\/div>\n
from god knows  where.  Alison and I could not tell Parkdale students from anonymous <\/div>\n
marauders seeking to rob Parkdale females from Parkdale males.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
How the hell did these strangers get into the dane in the first place?  They had friends on<\/div>\n
the inside\u2026at the door.  And there was really no rule that strangers could not come to the dance.<\/div>\n
We grew up in the 1950\u2019s when weekly dances were common and  moose rutting performances<\/div>\n
were rather rare.   At my high school, Humberside, the most rebellious activity at my first school<\/div>\n
dance was  passing crocks full of  hard  cider around the dance floor.  Teachers thought it<\/div>\n
was unfermented.   No fights.  The rotgut just made me sick.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Lots of  pop tunes n 1963 like Johny Cash and  \u2018Ring of Fire\u2019\u2026Roy Orbison\u2019s ‘Blue  Bayou’..or Bobby <\/div>\n
Vinton\u2019s ‘Blue Velvet’.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Wow, did Johnny Cash ever fire up student dances\u2026opening lyrics reveal much\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
Love is a burning thing
And it makes a fiery ring
Bound by wild desire
I fell in to a ring of fire<\/div>\n
I fell in to a burning ring of fire
I went down, down, down
And the flames went higher<\/div>\n
And it burns, burns, burns
The ring of fire
The ring of fire<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n

\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
On that October night in 1963 the gymnasium was quite dark.   And  sometimes the slow dances<\/div>\n
were so magnetic  that bodies seemed bound together\u2026positively charged  magnets.  That was<\/div>\n
a bit of a  concern so we turned  on a few lights.  Not a  popular thing to do.  \u201cWho the hell do<\/div>\n
those new teachers  think they are\u2026police officers\u2026morality officers\u201d\u201d  We got some nasty looks.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cAlison, I  am going to patrol the halls for a few minutes. <\/div>\n
Will you and  Marjorie be OK in the gym?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cFine.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Seemed to me I had better check that no one is smoking in the school.  If anyone was  smoking<\/div>\n
it would be done in the halls.  And sure enough there were a bunch  of boys, maybe 5 to 6<\/div>\n
of them with lit cigarettes in the main hall.   A challenge!<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cPut out those cigarettes, now.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWho says?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI say.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWho the hell are you?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI teach here\u2026placed in charge of this  dance.  No smoking.\u201d<\/div>\n
(mumbled  comments may have been \u2018Fuck You\u2019 or some less<\/div>\n
challenging few words.)<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat did  you say?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cFree country\u2026we can say what we want\u2026\u201dPrick!\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAre you Parkdale students?\u201d<\/div>\n
(Silence.  They were apparently not our students.  I did  not know for sure.<\/div>\n
And I think  they still held their cigarettes.}<\/div>\n
\u201cOK,  That\u2019s it, boys.  Get out of  here.  Now.  There\u2019s the front door\u2026leave.\u201d<\/div>\n
(I hoped my voice did  not crack as I got tough.  I  am not a fighter\u2026always looked<\/div>\n
to de-escalate confrontations because I had seen too many gang fights as a  kid<\/div>\n
in the late 1940\u2019s when my brother and I were small and lived in the middle of <\/div>\n
Diufferin Park.   One gang member got hit over the head with a lead pipe as I<\/div>\n
remember.   Bottom line, I was not as  tough as the situation in 1963 escalated<\/div>\n
into something that could  be physical.)<\/div>\n
\u201cGet out.  All of you.  Now.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cTeacher.  Think you are a big shot.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cOUT!\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBet you haven\u2019t got the guts to come outside with us.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll escort you out.  NOW!\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cChicken shit teacher\u2026\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cOUT!\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cCome out yourself.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
This image  captures the tough guys \u2026 complete with cigarette\u2026but these are<\/div>\n
not the boys.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Here I made a big mistake.  The challenge to come outside should have<\/div>\n
been ignored.  But that meant a loss of face and by then Parkdale students<\/div>\n
had gathered around.  So I  went outside with the boys who continued to<\/div>\n
mutter a mixture of  challenges and  obscenities. \u201cFucking teacher.\u201d<\/div>\n
may have been one of the expressions although the F word was  uncommon<\/div>\n
in the 1960\u2019s.  More likely I  was called a \u2018Son of a bitch\u201d.  Either way  the challenge<\/div>\n
had been made and  stupidly I herded the boys  outside.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Outside .  Jameson  Avenure was dark as  a dungeon. The street was lined with<\/div>\n
magnifcent old Elm trees that filtered the street lights.  Our school had no exterior<\/div>\n
lighting.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
This  was not good.  The boys gradually moved  around me.  Closing off my escape<\/div>\n
route back  to the school.  They were getting ready  to do something.  Maybe pound<\/div>\n
the shit out of me.  Maybe they were bluffing as I was bluffing.   I was  scared but<\/div>\n
kept my back straight.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cBig tough teacher, eh?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cGet out of here.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAfraid  to  do anything but talk\u2026no guts.\u201d<\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n
The circle was closing.  I was in bad trouble.  If I touched one of these<\/div>\n
boys then I had taken the first step.  They would be defending themselves.<\/div>\n
No touching on my part, for sure.   But they seemed to intend to do more <\/div>\n
than touch  me.   I  was trapped.  In the dark.  Strangers.  Hot tempers.<\/div>\n
Maybe girls watching\u2026.which  would be a  catalyst for violence.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Then a  wonderful thing happened.   Now, nearly 60 years  later I remember that]<\/div>\n
moment as if was yesterday.  Out of the darkness behind  me came a voice.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cAre you having any trouble Mr. Skeoch?\u201d\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
And a few Parkdale boys emerged, led by Ted  Spencer who was on our football<\/div>\n
team as  were the other boys who emerged into the filtered  light.  They knew I<\/div>\n
was over my head and might need them if push came to shove.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
The tough guys who were really just older teen agers from another school.  Boys<\/div>\n
with too much testosterone\u2026They just drifted away\u2026melted into the anonymity of<\/div>\n
Jameson Avenue and Queen Street West.  Gone.   As if a mirage.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cThanks, Ted, I was in trouble.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNo problem, sir, we knew what was happening.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Events back  in the gym had  also  taken a turn for the worst.  Well,<\/div>\n
not that bad,  really.  But Alison  Petrie and  Marjorie had their own<\/div>\n
troubles.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cHow are things in the gym, Marjorie?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNot good.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cTwo or three boys were talking to Alison\u2026\u201dSo I hear<\/div>\n
you come from the Maritimes, Miss Petrie?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYes, Nova Scotia.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s  wrong with that, Marjorie?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cLots.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cLike?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAs the boy in front was saying pleasant things,  the boy  behind Alison<\/div>\n
was slowly unzipping her dress\u2026very slowly.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWho? Point them out.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAlison and  I have decided best to let things alone\u2026nothing really<\/div>\n
happened.  The boys thought it was very funny.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Eventually the dance ended.  All the lights  came on  and the students <\/div>\n
dispersed.   That was my  first school dance in which I  had  been<\/div>\n
put in charge.  The  principal and senior teachers were at fault I believe.<\/div>\n
Two new teachers \u2026 kids themselves\u2026should never have been put in<\/div>\n
charge of  a  school dance.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Sad to say but today, in 2020, school dances  are rare.  There might be<\/div>\n
a  sort school dance in an afternoon but a school dance at night seems<\/div>\n
non existent.  Too bad, really.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Then again there is  no point to dancing any  more.  Why?  Social <\/div>\n
distancing.  Covid  19  has killed dancing. Can  you imagine dancing with a girl or a boy who are<\/div>\n
sx  feet distanced  from each other.  No chance of them \u201cputting their<\/div>\n
ware and tender bodies\u201d close together.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
alan  skeoch<\/div>\n
August 9, 2020<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Post Script <\/div>\n
 For tje Gppd  Times  was  written in 1970\u2026seven years  after the event<\/div>\n
\u2026but the meaning applies<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
“For The Good Times”<\/span>
(originally by Kris Kristofferson)<\/span>

<\/p>\n
Don’t look so sad, I know it’s over.
But life goes on, and this old world will keep on turning.
Let’s just be glad we had some time to spend together.
There’s no need to watch the bridges that we’re burning.

Lay your head upon my pillow.
Hold your warm and tender body close to mine.
Hear the whisper of the raindrops,
Blowin’ soft against the window,
And make believe you love me one more time,
For the good times.

I’ll get along; you’ll find another,
And I’ll be here if you should find you ever need me.
Don’t say a word about tomorrow or forever,
There’ll be time enough for sadness when you leave me.

Lay your head upon my pillow.
Hold your warm and tender body close to mine.
Hear the whisper of the raindrops,
Blowin’ soft against the window,
And make believe you love me one more time,
For the good times.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EPISODE  91   PUT YOUR WARM AND TENDER  BODY NEXT TO MINE (school dance, Oc.t 1963 alan skeoch August 9, 2020 Teen agers did dress  up  for dances but I do  not remember suits and ties on the boys Note:  I have told this story many  times but I think it is worth repeating  now\u2026impact […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5467"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5467\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}