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previously

Covington Latin School (good history at link including group picture in 1929 contining our father) today would be called a prep school. My father, a maternal uncle, both brothers, a paternal first cousin and at least one maternal cousin (Lubbers) graduated from the school.

The curriculum was heavy on the classics lead by Latin (prima forma - the first year - 7 of 30 weekly class periods were Latin; then 6 5 5 and culminating in an oral test before the bishop). When Bishop Malloy started a seminary, he sent high school students to CLS.

At the time I attended (1955-9), all faculty were local diocesan priests, except for Sr Evangelista OSB who taught 5 of 6 math classes, Omer Westendorf who taught chant and led the Bishop's Choir staffed by students, and a drill sergeant who had a drill class for prima forma to make up for our having no athletic facility.

The curriculum also included Greek.  Initially it was one period a week.  After the first year, it expanded to three periods a week.

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I graduated and received the Schwegman science award.  I also received a two year scholarship to Villa Madonna College.

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Somewhere around this time, or perhaps earlier, I had a few customers cutting their lawns, besides cutting our lawn.  One was the SFM city Hall.  Once or twice I cut the lawn of the lady next door on Dixie Hwy.

I also cut Gertrude Trimpe's lawn at 115 Highland.  She had bought a top of the line lawn mower.  Instead of being stamped metal, it was cast.  It was very heavy.  It was "self-propelled" by a friction drive on the back wheels - a rotating metal rod w/grooves in the ends.

To get the machine to the back yard was quite a task.  I couldn't lift it, so I had to take it down concrete stairs.

One time, when the grass was quite high in the back, I had tilted the rotor so I could get through the grass.  Unfortunately, the back yard had metal posts in the ground, into which, at one time, clothes line posts were placed.  I succeeded in breaking the shaft on the lawn mower.  As I remember, I continued to cut the grass for free.

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Another adventure occurred when Dad came home and said the windows at City Hall needed cleaning.  It was apparent they had not been cleaned for time (years?).  Since most people smoked at that time, the dirt was partially smoke deposits.  I had never cleaned windows and didn't know what I was doing.  First I used newspaper and plain water to cut through the mess.  Don't remember what I used for final cleaning nor what I was paid.

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