In 1955, Mukilteo's Rosehill Junior High was replaced by Olympic View Junior High. I was a member of Rosehill's last graduating class. I recently revisited the old school building, which now houses the community center.

Mukilteo is ageless. The Sea Horse Restaurant, the only one in town back in the fifties, appears to have given way to the waiting lot for the ferry, but everything else looks nearly like the day I left (until you get out on the Speedway, of course).

The exterior of the school building needs some help, and I wouldn't recommend the color of the paint, but the interior has been preserved in a splendid manner. As I walked the halls I could almost experience once again the flurry of activity that occurred each time we changed classes.

I passed in front of the math room where Karen Simpson saved me from certain failure in Algebra I. Had she not slipped me an answer now and then I wouldn’t' have gotten the "d" that barely saw me through. I promised Karen I wouldn't tell, but it's been 45 years. She won't mind. I don't think she knew about the tremendous crush I had on her.

I couldn't get into the gym, where I played basketball for two seasons without even once experiencing the thrill of victory. Our team couldn't buy a game at home or away, but did we have spirit. I can still hear our cheerleaders screaming, "Give me an M, give me a U, give me a K-I-L-T-E-O -- Mukilteo, Mukilteo, rah, rah!" All this despite our being 35 points in arrears in the final minutes. My younger sister was one of those girls.

Nor did I go in the basement, where the wood shop and the home economics room were located. I turned some pretty good wood bowls on the lathe down there. Sold one of them to Mrs. Flanagan up in the music room. Sold another when Mrs. Dexter took over the music room.

The showers were also in the basement. You got to them by going around the end of the stage in the gym/auditorium and down a narrow staircase. We always showered after losing a game to Marysville, Snohomish, Stanwood or anyone else needing an easy win.

It was also in that area near the end of the stage that our gym teacher/coach/health teacher/counselor, Mr. Ames, kept his paddle. The paddle, which I recall as being at least two feet long, had holes drilled through it. The holes made it less wind-resistant as it sped toward its target. I was miraculously spared, but some of my cohorts weren't so lucky. "Got a problem, boy? Need a little counseling?"

Things were simpler in those days.

We weren't all from Mukilteo. In fact, most of the kids lived in the sticks and were bussed in each day. I lived way out by Silver Lake, and a few students lived down Highway 99 on the way to Lynwood. From time to time we had Air Force kids from Paine Field.

Many of the area families were affluent. I remember Richard Dodson, whose father, David Dodson, wrote Away All Boats, which was made into a movie starring Jeff Chandler. Dick moved to Hawaii, where his dad completed the book.

And some of us were not well off at all, but almost everyone was part of the group. There simply weren't enough kids around to tolerate snobs.

Things fell apart when we moved on to Everett High. Everett was a huge school for its day, with well over 2,000 students. As happens, the close-knit group disintegrated as individuals attached themselves to new groups and advanced closer and closer to the unthinkable -- the grown up world.

My family moved to the Sunbelt when I was sixteen, and not long after that I joined the army and traveled the world. I did not remain in contact with a single person from Rosehill Junior High. As I approach my sixtieth year I regret that deeply, and I wonder if anybody who might remember me still lives in the Mukilteo area, that one place which really hasn't seemed to change.

Are you around, Bill Lesley? How about you, George Keller? Susan Baker?

Donna Chase (We were an item for a while.), John Moberg, Bill  chauffeur us on dates.), Butch Lindstrand, Arlene Anderson, Gary Walker.

Karen?