I attended Hume School from 1953 until sometime in early 1957 when Hume School was closed. I remember climbing the steps behind the school to get to class. I remember the janitor ringing the bell before class began. I also remember a number of the students I attended class with, as we remained together at Oakridge, Gunston Junior High (no middle school back then!) and finally at Wakefield, graduating as the class of 1965.

Even in the modern days of the 1950s Hume was a two room school house. Grades 1 and 2 were in one room. Grades 3 and 4 were in the other. The upper floor was for rainy day activities (and the ceiling in the classrooms below would really shake when another class was upstairs learning the Hokey-Pokey!).

A great deal has changed since those days. Many changes for the better, some not so. We managed to get along without color TV or cable. Computers were $1,000,000 Corporate behemoths. Cell phones were not even drempt of. Music came from 45 RPM records. McDonalds was still in the future and so were both of the bugs - the VW Beetle and the English Beatles. We have all gotten older, and hopefully wiser. Hopefully we can all remember those happy days of our childhood. That is the purpose of this site. To bring back some memories, and maybe reunite old friends.

The images in these pages are pictures of my 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade classes. Grades 1-3 were exclusively at Hume. Grade 4 was split between Hume and Oakridge where we moved after Hume was closed. I have also included a picture of the Oakridge Safety patrols from probably my 6th grade year (1958-59). This was the year I was Captain of the Safety Patrols, and probably the last time I ever had any power or influence. :-)

  • Thanks to Gary Southard for updates to the Safety Patrols picture, and many others.
  • Thanks to Terry Barcus for the recording of the Hume School bell.

So as you review these pages, think back to what the announcer for the Lone Ranger radio program would call "the golden days of yesteryear!"

John C. Abbott, Wheaton, Maryland

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