It’s been a long time…

It’s been a long time since I last walked the streets of Kenitra; however, I can say that the memory of those days are as fresh as the day I was there.

The experience provided a great deal perspective over the last 30 years!

RBS

Pizza Maroc?

While I was in Morocco much later than all of you (at least, so it seems…I was there from 1971-1973) there is a Moroccan (from Kenitra, believe it or not!) who owns a pizza place just off the boardwalk here at Virginia Beach. Most of the people who work there are family/friends of his from Kenitra. At first, he didn’t believe me when I told him I’d lived in Morocco…but you should have seen his face when I started describing Kenitra! (“…go to the clock, go 5 blocks down Mohammed V, take a right…”)

It’s amazing how I walked in to get pizza one day and I’ve grown quite a friendship with him and his family (they’ve even made couscous for myself and my girlfriend!) … all because of my days in Morocco!

If you’re ever in Virginia Beach, it’s Bella Pizza on Atlantic Ave (runs along the boardwalk) between 14th and 15th Street…Actually, it’s the best pizza in town! Tell Ahmed (“Ed”) you lived in/around Kenitra and Dean sent you…he’ll talk to you for hours!

Anyone out there from the early ’70’s?? We stayed at the Ambassador Hotel when we first got there…there was a coup attempt on the 3rd/4th day we were there…in fact, there was one a year later when the King’s airplane had to make an emergency landing at the base! We were locked down for quite a while then…

Dean Longo

Memories 1959-1960

I remember several of those names, but not all. So Mademoiselle Couson married Mr. Quinn–not really surprised.

This is so neat–I thought a chapter of my life that was long forgotten would never be prodded into my conscious mind again. I too had to dissect–first a worm, then a frog, in Mr. Quinn’s class. I also remember the Gutenbergs. 25 Gutenbergs was his standard punishment.

“When and by whom was the first printing press discovered as far as is generally known? Gutenberg, about 1450. ”

For as long as I live I will always be able to answer that question. Mrs. Riggs was our PE teacher, and Mr. Boulas the music one. I’ll have to look in my yearbook for the typing teacher, a woman, but that class was invaluable throughout the rest of my school years and my career as a special ed. teacher.

I remember having to give a 5 minute speech in English class, and I was shaking so hard when I turned over my written speech it rattled loud enough for the next classroom to hear, I swear. I recall a girl in my class, who I always sat behind because we were seated in alphabetical order, telling me how good my speech was. Yeah, right. Her name was Sandy Gill. Haven’t seen her on this site, yet. Also, my best friends were Karen Crane and Kathy Williams.

The teen clubs on Port Lyautey and Sidi Slimane held formal dances – exchanging – first on Port, then Sidi Slimane. We were doing the bunny hop and in the middle of it my ugly half-slip, not the pretty crinolines, fell down around my ankles. I had to stop hopping, step out of it, and grab it and run to the girl’s room. I was mortified.

In my 57 yearbook, someone drew a sketch of me with my slip hanging down to the floor and asked if I remembered. As if I could forget! Do you remember those slips under the full skirts? They were so full, we had to tuck them between our knees when sitting so we could see over our skirts!

Then there were penny loafers or saddle shoes, and sweater sets. The beehive hairdo’s weren’t in yet–the page boy was popular then, or a good old-fashioned pony tail. Then the shift dressed came in–made us look shapeless–straight up and down. Ah, for the good old days.

Judy (Hill) Swanson