Looking Ahead While Looking Back

Spending the weekend exploring David’s Doings in the Malden Press-Merit was an experience filled with memories of my days at Malden Junior High School. At the age of thirteen, I wrote my column without realizing how profoundly it would change my life. Growing up in the town I loved so well, I was given the rare opportunity to write about the days I observed at Malden Junior High—simple moments that, in hindsight, shaped my future.

Eighth grade was an exciting time. High school stood just ahead as the next great adventure, and I could hardly wait to walk the hallways of Malden High School. Seeing older classmates I looked up to—brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends—made it even more thrilling. Gathering in the gym bleachers, trading stories, sharing dreams, and imagining what lay ahead felt like stepping into something bigger than ourselves.

The house at 507 South Madison Street still stands today. In the summer of early July 1947, that street—then part of Business Highway 25—was especially beautiful. Homes lined the roadway, traffic moved steadily with cars and trucks, and trains frequently brought everything to a halt as they passed through town. Railroad cars were often stationed at Malden’s Cotton Belt Railroad depot, serving as a braking point before St. Louis.

My mother often told me she once took a train from Malden to St. Louis. She said passenger trains arrived or departed at midnight. One story in particular stayed with me. A few weeks after I was born in Denver, Colorado, my mother traveled

by train with her newborn child to Malden. When the train arrived, my grandparents—Florence Riggs and Ross Riggs—were waiting at the depot.

She shared this story years later as we walked together on her regular one-mile walk through her neighborhood. She often surprised me with these charming glimpses into my early childhood, and imagining her courage—traveling alone with a newborn—has always filled my heart with admiration.

Flowers filled my grandmother’s home. Grandmother Riggs filled her back sunroom with plants and surrounded the house with blooms outdoors. The Madison Street home welcomed generations, its remarkable screened-in front porch holding stories of family life that included my grandparents, their five children, and two grandchildren. In those early years, I lived close to many of my grandmother’s relatives, including my great-grandmother, Emma Jont, whose kitchen always seemed to offer a warm hug, cookies, and a glass of milk.

For this new installment of David’s Doings, I am including one of the original columns for entertainment—and perhaps to stir memories of your own grade-school days on the verge of moving up to Malden High School in 1961. I visited maldenmuseum.com/newspapers and began searching the Malden Press-Merit archives. Hours passed as I revisited a time when Malden was filled with hundreds of locally owned businesses and downtown streets lined with parked cars along Main and Madison.

Walking home from Beckwith Elementary often meant stopping first at Riggs Hardware to visit my grandmother, chatting with my Uncle Harry Whitaker, and browsing the aisles of the Ben Franklin 5 & 10 store for the latest novelty—or a piece of candy to enjoy on the walk home.

Exploring the entire year of 1961 was especially engaging, from reading the headlines to rediscovering everyday stories. One of the most meaningful ways to experience Malden’s past is through the Allen Black Newspaper Archives, sponsored by the Malden Historical Museum and made possible through the generosity of dedicated donors, for whom we are deeply grateful.

Alongside David’s Doings, first published on January 5, 1961, readers can glimpse the Malden Green Wave publication—filled with debate team news, a baseball team facing challenges, and New Year’s resolutions from students and faculty alike. These pages give us time to slip back into memories of school days and friendships. Many of those friends are gone, but they are never forgotten. Words keep them alive.

Included here are images and text from the Malden Green Wave clippings published in the 1961 Malden Press-Merit, including student reflections, New Year’s resolutions, and even commentary following an accident involving Malden’s baseball team. Together, they offer a glimpse of the past and a gentle reminder to look inward—because every day is a good day, and I am grateful to share these memories for future generations who care to explore Malden’s history through the Allen Black Newspaper Archives, sponsored by the Malden Historical Museum.

Happy New Year.

Thank you for reading, David's Doings 12-31-25

The following is text from the news clippings from the Malden Green Wave published in the Malden Press-Merit:

"Hey! Get Off Me You Big Lug".

Does anyone ever wonder how people react during a wreck? As

* humorous as these phrases may seem, they were actually blurted out uttered, and gasped during the slight mishap of the MHS bus en-route to the Kennett basketball game Friday night, December 23.

I hope we don't hit that ice - ssssssssss—→

Hold Onnnnn!! Boy!! Oh! Whew!

Hey Crabtree, what are ya doin on the floor?

Anybody hurt?

Yeah, my back's broken.

Golly, and I was in a good sleeping position.

Get off me, Hoehn, you big lug!!

I bent my ball point pen.

Hurrah, turn around and let's do it again.

Been more fun if we'd turned ov-

er.

What time is it?

My big toe hurts.

Get your finger out of my mouth!

Heise! what would your father Say?

Shut your cotton pickin' mouth,

Downing.

Hey, Chal', this is an emergency.

Can we use the new emergency door?

Anybody find an extra shoe?

Summers WOULD manage to end up with a girl in all the confusion!

New Year's Resolutions

Never Again...

Since New Year's resolutions are in order, some MHS students in the spirit of the season have determined to meet the New Year with blueprints for improvement.

John Crabtree vows he will never sing off-key again. (This I've got to see or hear!)

Bill Thompson resolves to make

his fifth hour class on time.

Bonnie Hinze promises to quit trying to be a wit and concentrate on bookkeeping.

Bob Bryant says he will work harder for a good football team next year. (It is possible?)

Terry McDonald resolves not to run into another basketball player.

Karen Link hopes to avoid being tardy by setting her clock ahead fifteen minutes.

Bob McMillian says he is going to find out who Harvey is.

Emily Haworth resolves never to yawn in Mr. Stacy's class again.

Terry Karlish promises never to flirt again (?)

Stephen Hoehn solemnly swears not to grow one more inch!

Phyllis Bonham says If Stephen won't take that added heighth, she will.

MHS seniors resolve not to come back to school next school year.

(Well, most of them.)

MHS teachers promise to try to Keep informed and stay at least one step ahead of the students next year. (An Impractible resolution, let's ban it).

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