Lou Ann Price Richards

Wow! I can't believe that it's been 30 years since graduation, May 1976. A lot has happened since then. In the fall of 1976 I enrolled as a student at La Tech. I didn't know for sure if I was college material, but I did o.k. My first quarter gpa was 3.75, not bad for an average high school student. My husband and I were married in December of 1977, and have three of the greatest children and one adorable granddaughter. Our oldest child, a daughter was born while Doug was still teaching at SHS in 1981. Jessica is married and is an Occupational Therapist Assistant at Christus Spohn Hospital in Corpus Christi, TX; Our oldest son, Brian, is an auto tech, married to Linda, a wonderful young woman, and they are the parents of our granddaughter, Caitlin; our youngest son, Jonathan, is enlisted in the U.S. Army and is stationed at Ft. Huachuca in Arizona, where he is pursuing a carreer in Army Intelligence. Life has certainly gone by quickly. Many years, many, many heartwarming memories...
Some of my fondest memories of SHS...
...First Grade, Mary S. Durrett, our first grade teacher, was so loving and kind to each student she met. Her gentleness and kindness I will never forget. One memory from first grade - naps! Yes, we took naps, or some people did. I remember Mrs. Durrett telling Jed Lewis, Bill Bump and myself to be quiet one day, we were talking and /or laughing when we were supposed to be "napping". Another memory in the first grade - I went to the restroom and for some unknown reason began to sing. (Back then the first grade restroom was connected to the classroom.) It was quite a solo, "O Beautiful" as I recall. I had no idea that everyone in the classroom could hear me and when I came out, everyone broke into applause. I was so embarrassed that I didn't sing a solo in the restroom again!
...Freshman year, English I, Virginia Taylor was our teacher. She was very tough but fair. Remember those spelling and vocabulary tests? We had to take those spelling tests in ink! Each Friday was the dreaded test - unless you scored a 100% on the pre-test on Monday which I did quite often. We had never had to take a spelling test in ink. If you misspelled a word and tried again, it was wrong even if the second try was correct.
... All-State Choir UIL at Northeast in Monroe our senior year. An excused absence from classes to attend. Mrs. Hanchey drove several students there to participate. We had a great time learning music some of which we had never heard and some familiar. The music was fantastic and concluded with a concert. That was an experience I will never forget.
...Girls sports program, Barbara Swanner, our coach, was a great inspiration to all of us who played basketball, softball and/or volleyball. Some students played all three. I remember in a volleyball game and let me emphasize "one game", that I actually scored 9 unanswered points, what a memory that was. Softball was my favorite sport. The "Tigerettes" were really good that year and the following year as well. I believe that the 1975 team was the first SHS softball team to qualify for the state tournament. Back then we played all classes of schools and we defeated several 4-A schools to get into the tournament, SHS was a C school then.
Where have the years gone? My years at SHS are wonderful memories that I will cherish always. Though I left Simsboro and continued in life, SHS will always have a special place in my heart.