This beauty is the Rio San Gabriel Kindergarten class photo from 1957, which is when my Uncle John attended. That’s him in the third row, second from the right.
I love old photos. Especially ones with people I’ve never met in them. Like this girl:
I call her Triangula. Because of her three distinct “points.” I bet she dominated at kickball, distracting the other children with her unique hairstyle. When she ran home, she’d just smirk at them.
Hey, also: Did the children of Rio San Gabriel realize that they were in school with the Bad Seed?
And then there’s Lil’ Cringey:
His mother should be sternly lectured. The poor kid can’t breathe with all those buttons done up like that. He’s barely able to move his head, let alone give us a genuine smile. Now, Lil’ Cringey sells used furniture out of a warehouse in Garden Grove. He wears a dickey every day to hide the permanent indentation his collars made in his neck flesh.
But don’t worry! Not all stories are sad! Just look at Squinta:
She was teased in school, but later it was discovered that her aerodynamic face was perfect for the luge, and now she has 4 silver medals!
And then there’s this fellow:
He wasn’t great at math. He wasn’t great at spelling. But he grew up and became Peter Lorre.
See, kids! If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything!
Believe it or not, these people were average back in the day.
Gene Taylor, Hoxie Aveneue Elementary (Norwalk CA), Kindergarden Class of 1958.
Class of !958…meaning my KG pic was taken in 1957 as well. I got it somewhere…???
Those are some messed-up looking kids
As a graduate of Rio San Gabriel in 1966, I can say unequivocally that the teachers and staff were much stranger looking than those kids.
The only ones who looked decent were women and they often disappeared for most of the school year. No one even mentioned that they were at home waiting for the stork to arrive.