Butch’s High School Graduation…56 Years Ago

One of our grandsons graduated from high school this past Friday. He attended Mt. Vernon High School near Fortville. He is an excellent student and also quite handy with technology. He has also been an accomplished pilot since the age of 15. We are certain he will be successful in any occupation that he might choose.

It was 56 years ago when I graduated from good old Darlington High School and gave the valedictorian address at commencement. I had always done well in math and science, and my plans were to become an electrical engineer. I had received a four-year scholarship to General Motors Institute in Flint, Michigan, which required that I work at the Allison Division of General Motors for six weeks, and then alternate that with six weeks at GMI. At the end of four years, I would earn my Bachelor’s degree in engineering and would be assured of a high-paying job at GM.

In the summer of 1966, I commuted to Allisons in Indy. My job was to trace blueprints of Rolls Royce jet engines. I watched the other engineers spend each day doing calculations and drawing parts. By the end of that summer I was starting to have doubts about becoming an engineer. Was that what I really wanted to do the rest of my life? Did I want to work for a large corporation and live in a big city? Did a large salary mean that much to me?

After much soul-searching, I made the decision to do something else. I enrolled at Purdue and married my sweetheart two days after I turned 18. Although one semester’s tuition was only $175, I still had to work full-time to pay all of our living expenses. Four years later I had my degree in sports business and sports writing, but I continued on and earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in education so that I could also become a teacher…and was lucky enough to land a teaching and coaching position at my old school.

But a person can really never predict what path his life will take. After teaching a short course in criminal justice in one of my social studies classes one year, the field of law enforcement captured my interest. After several years of teaching, I became a deputy sheriff…eventually earning the rank of sergeant…and then being elected county sheriff in 1994. But hold on…during those years I also became the librarian at Darlington the same year that my oldest son started college!

Honestly, if someone had told me in high school that I would be a teacher, police officer, and librarian…I would have informed them that they were crazy! I never made much of a salary at any of these jobs, but all three were very satisfying. So to my grandson, and to all of you recent high school graduates, I will say this….Don’t lock yourself into a job that you feel obligated to pursue. Decide where you want to live your life, and don’t think that a big salary can automatically bring happiness.

My Grandma and Grandpa Dale gave me a card when I graduated. Inside the card Grandma wrote, “Wishing you the best of everything as you build your life.” Both passed away just a few years later. I have kept that card all these years. Their wish for me came true. And to my grandson, and to all of you graduates, I hope you live a satisfying life and enjoy “the best of everything.”

John “Butch” Dale is a retired teacher and County Sheriff. He has also been the librarian at Darlington the past 32 years, and is a well-known artist and author of local history.