Youngstown, Part Three

I drove by my old high school. It looked better than I might have expected. The sign -- Wilson's mascot is still "The Redmen" -- whether or not your sports mascot is racially sensitive is the least of your problems in this city. I remember the pep rally and bonfire at the beginning of my freshman year. Someone stole the big custom painted wooden football schedule sign from the grounds of nearby suburban Boardman High School and threw it in the fire. I remember this bully Tony, who pulled a knife on me in the locker room during gym class. I swallowed hard and called him a pussy for using a knife when I was prepared to fight him with bare hands. I remember scheming to firebomb his house if he didn't leave me alone. The JFK moment for my generation: I was in Algebra class in this building when I heard about the Challenger shuttle disaster. Tommy broke up with his girlfriend that day... passing her a note that read, "too bad you weren't on the space shuttle today." Tommy always had a way with inappropriate words.