CLASSES OF THE 1950s RECALL THEIR "HAPPY DAYS" IN CAPE GIRARDEAU

In 1957, Shirley Waterman owned a poodle skirt. She danced to a juke box and dated a boy who drove a convertible.

"I think kids had more fun back then," she said, surrounded by classmates from Cape Girardeau Central High School's classes of the 1950s. "I have a lot of wonderful memories."

Waterman, Class of 1957, and some 700 other people were sharing those memories and catching up on 40 or more years since high school at the reunion this weekend.

This is the third 1950s reunion, scheduled every five years.

In Cape Girardeau, the 1950s was a decade of dancing, drive-ins and championship basketball.

Teenagers walked nearly everywhere they went. Luckily, most of the popular hangouts were right along Broadway, within walking distance of the new high school.

Central High School moved to its current location during the 1950s. The first class to graduate from the new building was 1955. Among those graduates was Jackie Boswell.

The school, she recalled, was built on the edge of town in what had previously been a field.

If someone had use of a car, it was a big deal. "I remember we had one girlfriend with a car," said Waterman.

Gasoline was 25 cents a gallon. "We would all chip in a dime for gas, and we would cruise Broadway," she said.

The trip always included a stop at Wimpy's, then at the corner of Kingshighway and Cape Rock Drive, and at Pfister's Drive-In, a round restaurant at Broadway and Spring Street.

"We were there looking at the boys, but you could eat hamburgers for 15 cents apiece," said Helen Faucett Smith, Class of 1951. "Ten for a dollar," a friend from across the room added.

Boys, and a few girls, could be found at the Play-Mor Pool Hall on Broadway, said Bill Evans, Class of 1955. The crowds would spill out onto the sidewalks.

"We would hang out on the parking meters looking at girls," Evans said.

Teenagers in the 1950s had occasional amorous encounters, usually at Cape Rock Park or Twin Trees Park. "Oh yes, that's where we went parking," Smith said.

Jack Craft, Tony Sebek and Gary Metje, Class of 1952, were shocked that a nice girl like Helen Faucett (Smith) admitted she had been to Cape Rock, even if it was four decades ago. After exchanging knowing looks, the three said indeed the lady was right.

"Cape Rock was 'kissing rock'," said Craft. "I guess we all ended up there at one time or another."

Those high school romances often ended in long-lasting marriages.

Craft, Sebek and Metje are among at least 10 couple from the Class of 1952 who remain happily married to their high school sweetheart.

Waterman's high school sweetheart, the one with a convertible, is her husband of 41 years.

High school football and basketball were very important. Those who didn't play showed up to support the teams.

Metje played basketball for Central High when the team played at the Arena Building.

In 1954, the Central High basketball team won the state championship. "We had some good teams in the 1950s," Metje said.

Flat-top haircuts were in style, Sebek recalled, and his official "uniform" was Levi's jeans with white shoes and a white T-shirt.

This weekend, the flat tops and white shoes are gone. The conversation has turned to grandchildren and retirement.

"We've all changed," said Smith. "We've aged gracefully. It's so wonderful to see everyone. I think we get better all the time."