This was when we moved to Florence. My daughter—. The schools weren't
good enough, so I decided I ought to send her to Ashley Hall in
Charleston. She went there. He went to the fifth grade, and he came home
shortly after he started and he said—. I was on my way to the plant and
getting ready and he said, "Dad, I don't want to go to school." I said,
"Mark, why don't you want to go to school?" He said, "Well, the kids
have all hooks that they hang coats on and their jackets with their
names on them. I don't have a hook with my name on it.'" He said,
Page 8"I'm not sure I can find the seat that's assigned to
me." Then he started to cry and he said, "Dad, I can't understand what
the teacher is saying." The teacher was a Mrs. Singleterry from
Charleston, South Carolina who had a heavy Charleston brogue. A few
weeks later — this is how quickly children adapt — he came home and
said, "Do you know what a perd and a sittence is?" I said, "No." He
said, "A perd is what you put at de end of da sittence." Then he came
home another time and he said, "Did you know the Great Lakes were filled
with salt water?" I said, "Mark, we lived in Michigan. You know the
Great Lakes are fresh water." He said, "Well, I'll tell you. There's a
fifth grade class in South Carolina that's growing up that's been taught
that the Great Lakes are salt water." I said, "Well, why don't you speak
up?" He said, "You don't tell Mrs. Singleterry anything." So those were
interesting experiences.