I wasn’t the smartest senior in my high school (I graduated #4 out of a class of about 215), but looking back, I was perhaps the most witty, if not the most whacky, especially after captaining our high school team on the televised western Pennsylvania quiz show, “Battle of Wits.”
In the 1970’s, “Battle of Wits” was the equivalent of, “It’s Academic,” except it focused on current news headlines. Taped the previous Tuesday, the show aired every Saturday at 7 p.m. on Channel 11, WIIC, then the local NBC affiliate in Pittsburgh, PA, and each week featured a western Pennsylvania high school team competing for 100 points.
At the beginning of the school year, Mr. Benton, our social studies teacher submitted Slippery Rock High School (SRHS) to participate in “Battle of Wits” but only if its name was randomly selected from a cheerleading megaphone at the end of each weekly show. In case SRHS was selected, Mr. Benton gave a heads up to five seniors (three contestants and two alternates) who would form the team. I was one of the contestants as was Raymond B. (the physics whiz) and James L. (the science/chemistry whiz). Further, if chosen, Mr. Benton had asked me to captain the team.
As luck would have it, SRHS’s name was pulled out of the megaphone the week before two performances of the senior high school play, “Don’t Drink the Water” by Woody Allen which I was student directing and Raymond and James were starring. We would have to prepare for the quiz show between rehearsals.
I studiously watched the latest episode of “Battle of Wits” and discerned that all of the questions were from Time, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report magazines and the largest newspaper in the area, The Pittsburgh Press. My father subscribed to all of these publications which I read as religiously as he did. Raymond, James and I rehearsed the play and back stage, poured over the the latest copies.
Three days later, when Mr. Benton and the team walked into the WIIC Channel 11 lobby the night of the taping, I was stunned to see four nuns. News magazines and rosaries in hand, they were quizzing three female students/postulants, each wearing a black skirt and a pristine white button-down collar shirt buttoned all the way to their chins. I was already feeling uncomfortable because my blood sisters had each asked me to wear an article of clothing from her wardrobe to see what it looked like on TV: a blouse, a skirt, a sweater vest, a necklace. None of it matched.
We then learned that we would be competing against St. Dominic High School, named after the patron saint of astronomers and natural scientists whose order is traditionally credited with spreading and popularizing the rosary.
I looked at the nuns and their very serious students/postulants and whispered to Mr. Benton, “We are sooooo going to lose. They have God on their side.”
Did they have God on their side? Tune in tomorrow for “Battle of Wits — Part TWO” when the clash between heaven and what felt like hell was televised and the outcome ultimately revealed.
True disclosure, those are not the actual four nuns that served as faculty advisors for St. Dominic High School though the photo included in this post was found when I googled “St. Dominic High School — 1970.” There may be dozens of St. Dominic High Schools around the world. I have a hunch that most of the nuns back then looked like these four. This is certainly how I remembered them — sweet smiles obfuscating deadly determination to beat what they perceived to be SRHS apostates.
How accurate are the details in this story?
In her book, “Living to Tell the Tale, A Guide to Writing Memoir,” author Jane Taylor McDonnell relates a comment from Vivian Gornick (the author of the highly esteemed and wonderful memoir, “Fierce Attachments”) responding to a student who complained that he simply could not remember an experience he needed to write about. “Well, just make it up,” she said. “Then see if it is true.”
This works. As I was writing about this high school episode, many details that I had forgotten popped up in my memory, e.g., my sisters asking me to wear articles of clothing the night of the taping so they could see what each one looked like on TV as well as my temporary bloody nose sixty seconds before the show taping began. For more details about my bloody nose panic, check out Part TWO of this story tomorrow.
Well if you are giving us a foretaste of a memoir you are doing a great job. I am deeply intrigued and can’t wait until tomorrow. The details are wonderful and the whole episode is most engrossing.
WOW! Thanks so much for the encouragement, Charlotte. I am sallying forth on a new approach or tone or direction or whatever with stories about my life. As you can see, it is more light-hearted and my mother has faded into the background. Like you, I too am intrigued. xoxo
While I read the post, I could hear the music of our local “It’s Academic”. I don’t think things have changed much. Bad outfits and haircuts, and the most intellectual students to represent the school. And always a Catholic school in the mix every 4th episode or so.
I know how the ends, so I won’t say anything more except thanks for a fun post to start the day.
You are so welcome, Adrienne.
Readers need to know that I could not have undertaken whatever this new memoir approach is without you. Over our nearly two decades together, you have heard my stories and YOU remembered details that I had shared but no longer remembered. Thank you. xoxo
[Adrienne and I actually made a list of what she perceives and what I now recall are my peculiar, maddening and endearing idiosyncrasies. I was one helluva kid. Continue to stay tuned.]
I love this so much:
“I was already feeling uncomfortable because my blood sisters had each asked me to wear an article of clothing from her wardrobe to see what it looked like on TV: a blouse, a skirt, a sweater vest, a necklace. None of it matched.”
Thanks, Kelly. Even back then, I was quite the fashion maven! xoxo
Great post. Your writing these days simply flows and is a delight to read. So impressed that you were so worldly wise and so aware of current events in your teen years! I remember being virtually oblivious to all of that, except for what our debate team focused on. I was too busy being pious and boy crazy!
Thanks much, Carol, my friend. I wasn’t aware of ALL current events when I was a high school senior as tomorrow’s post will attest.
Were you on your debate team? That’s impressive. And needless to say, I was NOT boy crazy back then which is another story. xoxo
Delightful! Can’t wait to hear the rest of the story!
Thanks, Beth. Been working on the rest of the story for a couple of days. Will post tomorrow! xoxo