Gary Hensley

By 1966 I was working in the lab at Novamont. I stayed 42 yrs and worked for U.S.Steel, Mitsubishi, and Sunoco since the plant kept changing hands. I worked with Gloria Chafin for several years, and later, Sally Holley.
In the 90's I wrote two books for my family about my childhood on 27th St. and at Lincoln Elementary. I had three "fans" but two of them died, so there's been no great demand for the third book.
To me it seems natural to recall long sequences and precise dialog 50 or 60 yrs. later. I suppose that's why it bothered me when so many of the former classmates I encountered over the years didn't remember me at all. I'm over that now. (When I met Sue Davidson in the mid-70's, she was sure I was too young to have gone to school with her. That was sweet.)
Nobody ever heard me say I wanted a cat. A dog is a man's pet. Besides, I couldn't offer the stability a pet would need: I worked 7 days, 7 evenings, 7 midnights, and sometimes worked double shifts. That's no environment for a critter. Nevertheless, in 1994 I had two 10-wk-old kittens thrust upon me. They were on probation for awhile, but they stayed and I became "Daddy."
In 2009 I lost my beautiful, brilliant little KatyKat to cancer. Seven pounds of fur and attitude, she outsmarted me every day and entertained me constantly. Hakeem is so sweet and simple, it's like
having a live teddybear. He's 16, well behaved, and extraordinarily handsome.
Retirement has not been productive. Decades of shift work took a toll: I went from feeling bad, to
feeling really bad, to having a heart attack in 2010.
I am hoping to get straightened out and get something done this year.
8-21-11
I lost Hakeem a few weeks ago to various ailments. He was 94 in human years, so we might say "old age." Parenthood was rewarding but I don't think I will do it again.
1-9-14
I am giving parenthood another "go." This little guy, Flopsy, just showed up last summer, and won me over in a few months. He is nearly perfect and I am much better prepared now than I was nineteen years ago.

Thanks to some magic words from Miss Hodge
I went from a 2.0 average for the 10th grade to a 4.0 average for the 12th grade. I thought I had done a good job as a senior--until forty years later, when I got a transcript of my records.
Some anonymous teacher had taken her poison pen to an evaluation of my character, habits, personality. "Cannot work with others"
was the killer.
The evidence points to Ms. Underwood, Librarian, Advisor for the annual staff. She had adopted my proposal for the theme, including the birthday cake (posing with the cake, cutting the cake, Susan feeding Richard some cake.) I thought she was pleased to have someone who wanted to work, rather than play and socialize.
Seems I was wrong.
One day she sent me on an errand which took maybe ten minutes. When I got back they were all eating the famous cake. I just missed out on an opportunity to "work with others" on that pastry.
Such was life in high school: some people got cake, some didn't.