The Great Depression Continued.

The Great Depression started in 1929, after the Stock Market crashed. Other factors contributed to the horrific event in US History, an event that would last for ten years. Living was rough back in 1934, the year that these students graduated from high school. Times were hard and just surviving was difficult. To graduate from high school was special and the "Job Well Done" hand shake or a pat on the back should have been given to all of the students plus their parents. These graduates entered a job market era when times were hard and jobs were rare. They graduated and they survived. Congratulations 1934 Seniors.

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All of these students in this graduating class knew mostly, hard times and they realized that they were entering their adult life with a diploma in one hand and a difficult task before them as they pondered their next step in the joys or perils of life. A war was in the making in Europe and I would imagine that some of the newly graduates were bothered by the fact that they, or some of their classmates would soon become soldiers. Others would become parents and life in Rockport would continue.

As in every high school graduating class at Rockport, I have known some of those that graduated and/or was aware of some of the others. This class was no exception. I am aware of some of the graduates and others I am not. The following list includes all of the students that graduated in 1934, but the graduate information on each student is short. Maybe if I fill in some of the blanks, I hope that I will hear from others out there that will help me complete this list.

Class of 1934.

1. Mae Ashby. Information nil. Help would be appreciated.

2. Virginia Barnard. I can not place Virginia Barnard, but there were not very many Barnard's in the Rockport area. Richard and Minnie Barnard raised a large family that attended the Rockport School system, but I do not think that Virginia was one of this family. She may have been a cousin.

3. Hazel Elmore. I have no information on Ms Elmore.

4. Kermit Lee Gray. I never knew Kermit Gray. I knew a few Gray's growing up in Rockport, but do not remember him. Information on him and on others would be appreciated.

5. Louise Growbarger. There were two Growbarger brothers living in Rockport in the forties and fifties and I knew both of them and their children. Earl and Dewey Growbarger were mainstays in Rockport and I am guessing that Louise Growbarger was a sister to those two Rockport residents.

6. Ray Hines. Ray Hines was the son of Marvin and Ida Hines. I knew Ray's parents very well and spent many an hour in their house and on their property. I just don't remember much about Ray. Ray's dad, Marvin would take his granson, Donald Ray, on hunting and fishing trips and many a time I would be invited to go along with them. Marvin had a large Jon boat and during squirrel hunting season, Marvin would use his Jon boat to go up river to hunt for the bushy tail and would take his grandson and other boys with him. Actually, Marvin's "Jon Boat" was in reality, a wooden, flat bottom, river boat that would hold five adults, with no problem. On some of there hunting trips. there would be Marvin and as high as four boys going up river with him. He would motor his boat to known squirrel hunting places like Jacob's Creek, get out of the boat to squirrel hunt, and leave us boys with the boat. We cold fish for three or so hours while he hunted. Just imagine an adult doing that in this day and time. Yeah, me too.

7. Hugh Mason. Hugh Mason was the brother of Bruce "Pete" Mason. They lived in the brick house across the road and South of the Rockport Post Office. Hugh left Rockport soon after graduation and would make occaional visits to his parents and to his brother's. I would see him at times during these visits.

8. Peyton Robertson. I have no information on Peyton and any type of help in this area would be appreciated.

9. Wanda Rowe. There was a George Rowe family living in Rockport in this time frame and some Rowe's living in McHenry. I am not aware of Wanda Rowe.

10. Virginia Tilford. I have no information on Virginia. Help would be appreciated and used.

11. R. C. Hines. R. C. was the brother to Ray Hines and the son of Marvin and Ida Hines. I think that Ray died, maybe was killed, at an early age. R. C. married and moved away from Rockport soon after graduation. I don't recall where he made his home, but it must have been close enough for an easy drive back to his parents, as it seems that he was a regular visitor to Rockport. In this time frame, Marvin was the supervisor of the Highway 62 Toll Bridge over Green River and his main responsibility was toll collection. This bridge was a toll bridge until the early fifties. In that time frame, I may have been thirteen or so and Donald and Lacy Blackburn a few years behind me. For one of our forms of entertainment, in those days, two or three of us would go to the toll both and hang out. You see, we had no electronic devices in those days and had to make our own entertainment. As a car or truck approached, we would try to identify the vehicle as to name, make and year of manufacturer. The first one to correctly identify the vehicle was awarded a point. We did not do motorcycles, bicycles nor animals, only cars and trucks. The semis and larger trucks presented more of a problem as the year was difficult and you could only be a winner if the other players agreed to the identity. To say the least, we did not miss identify many small trucks and automobiles.


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