Bruce and Jeannie Nelson by Chaeweon Seo
Bruce and Jeannie Nelson (1968-1972)
Bruce and Jeannie Nelson were high school sweet hearts and attended Cascade High School in 1972. After high school, Bruce attended Everett Community College for two years and studied police science and general studies. However, he did finish college but began to work for the Country Road Department. Bruce and Jeannie married when Jeannie was 20 and Bruce was 22. Jeannie did not go to college until she was 30 and attended Everett Community College as well and transferred to Seattle Pacific University. She majored in social sciences and elementary education. Jeannie loved what she studied and was able to get a job with the Everett School District right away. After college Jeannie worked for the Bank of American until she had two kids and then took part time jobs such as grocery clerk and aerobic dance instructor. Bruce worked for the Silver Lake Water district for 30 years.
Jeannie and Bruce both attended Cascade but started to date their senior year at Cascade. Jeannie tells the story of how they first met: I was cheerleading at a football game, my senior year. Bruce’s best friend was a friend of mine and a fellow student in my class. He set us up on a blind date. After Bruce came to “scope” me out, he then left the game without ever talking to me. Later, he called me and asked me out me to our mutual friend’s birthday party the next night. Bruce’s side of the story: My friend told me there was a girl who was in his history class. My friend and I worked together at a part time job on Friday night’s and on our break; we would run over to the football game to check out Jeannie. I decided to ask if she would go out with me the next day. Jeannie and Bruce were both very involved in Cascade and some of the activities they participated in were sports, politics, DECA, and went out to many parties. The popular sports for boys were football, basketball, track, cross country, swim, tennis, baseball, and golf. For girls, they were tennis, volleyball, track, basketball and cheerleading. Jeanie did choir, Del Sonics, Girls and Boys Club, tennis, and cheer senior year. Bruce did class representatives and dated girls. As Jeannie says going to Cascade was something to be proud of.
Other after school activities that were popular during this time was drivers ed, school dances, and driving downtown. Jeannie drove her parents’ 68 Impala Chevrolet and Bruce drove his 65 Pontiac GTO which is apparently was a really cool muscle car. Dances had live band performances. Homecoming was the biggest dance of the year, but unlike now, it was a semiformal dance. Jeanie says after game dances were well attended and lots of fun. Football games were well attended and fun as well. Girls wore chunky heels and bright flowery colors, stove pipe pants, and hot pants to these dances but not to school. Bruce recalls polyester was new and it became a big hit. Skirts were really short for the girls and boys wore: Levi 501, bell bottoms, wide lapel shirts, and sweater vests. A saying back then was free love and free thinking Jeannie tells us. New changes occurred during this time. For example, smoking ads on billboards and TV became and big deal and were removed. Diet coke and Tang were invented. Equality and human rights coming to the fore front and lots of new products due to the space program Bruce recalls.
Cascade was about 8-10 years old when Bruce and Jeannie were going there. The cafeteria had colorful plastic panels in this huge wall. Sort of like stained glass, but not. No extra gyms, just one big one. There was outdoor seating for lunch time on the grass. You could still go off campus to eat lunch and Taco Bell, XX burgers, McDonald’s and Herfy’s burgers which were popular. The “honors” classes were serious and hard. Lots of pressure to perform. One of her favorite teachers was Mr. Pringle for science. Bruce attended regular classes but his favorite teachers were Mr. Langus for history, Mr. O’Neil for government, and Mr. Burby for biology. Since Jeannie was in Boys and Girls club she tells us: Leadership was not a class, but was in the Girl’s and Boy’s club, so those two did a lot of the food drive and community support stuff, toy drive, food baskets. We went door to door asking for food, not at the grocery stores. We were not into the news paper or annual but the kids did do a really good job.
Major events back then was the ending of the Vietnam War and the boys no longer had to worry about being drafted. The draft was very scary Bruce and Jeannie tell us. We both remember watching news coverage of the TV. Lots of reports of deaths in the war. Earth Day began in 1971 and the Class of 1971 had a record number of pregnancies and abortion was legalized. Concerts were very popular and Jimmy Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Pacific Gas and Electric, the Youngbloods, and Steve Miller Band started the beginning of outdoor concerts with multiple bands. There was gas restriction because there were problems in the Middle East. People had to wait hours to get gas Bruce remembers. In 1996, Bruce also remembers that Neil Armstrong had landed on the moon.
Bruce and Jeannie Nelson were high school sweet hearts and attended Cascade High School in 1972. After high school, Bruce attended Everett Community College for two years and studied police science and general studies. However, he did finish college but began to work for the Country Road Department. Bruce and Jeannie married when Jeannie was 20 and Bruce was 22. Jeannie did not go to college until she was 30 and attended Everett Community College as well and transferred to Seattle Pacific University. She majored in social sciences and elementary education. Jeannie loved what she studied and was able to get a job with the Everett School District right away. After college Jeannie worked for the Bank of American until she had two kids and then took part time jobs such as grocery clerk and aerobic dance instructor. Bruce worked for the Silver Lake Water district for 30 years.
Jeannie and Bruce both attended Cascade but started to date their senior year at Cascade. Jeannie tells the story of how they first met: I was cheerleading at a football game, my senior year. Bruce’s best friend was a friend of mine and a fellow student in my class. He set us up on a blind date. After Bruce came to “scope” me out, he then left the game without ever talking to me. Later, he called me and asked me out me to our mutual friend’s birthday party the next night. Bruce’s side of the story: My friend told me there was a girl who was in his history class. My friend and I worked together at a part time job on Friday night’s and on our break; we would run over to the football game to check out Jeannie. I decided to ask if she would go out with me the next day. Jeannie and Bruce were both very involved in Cascade and some of the activities they participated in were sports, politics, DECA, and went out to many parties. The popular sports for boys were football, basketball, track, cross country, swim, tennis, baseball, and golf. For girls, they were tennis, volleyball, track, basketball and cheerleading. Jeanie did choir, Del Sonics, Girls and Boys Club, tennis, and cheer senior year. Bruce did class representatives and dated girls. As Jeannie says going to Cascade was something to be proud of.
Other after school activities that were popular during this time was drivers ed, school dances, and driving downtown. Jeannie drove her parents’ 68 Impala Chevrolet and Bruce drove his 65 Pontiac GTO which is apparently was a really cool muscle car. Dances had live band performances. Homecoming was the biggest dance of the year, but unlike now, it was a semiformal dance. Jeanie says after game dances were well attended and lots of fun. Football games were well attended and fun as well. Girls wore chunky heels and bright flowery colors, stove pipe pants, and hot pants to these dances but not to school. Bruce recalls polyester was new and it became a big hit. Skirts were really short for the girls and boys wore: Levi 501, bell bottoms, wide lapel shirts, and sweater vests. A saying back then was free love and free thinking Jeannie tells us. New changes occurred during this time. For example, smoking ads on billboards and TV became and big deal and were removed. Diet coke and Tang were invented. Equality and human rights coming to the fore front and lots of new products due to the space program Bruce recalls.
Cascade was about 8-10 years old when Bruce and Jeannie were going there. The cafeteria had colorful plastic panels in this huge wall. Sort of like stained glass, but not. No extra gyms, just one big one. There was outdoor seating for lunch time on the grass. You could still go off campus to eat lunch and Taco Bell, XX burgers, McDonald’s and Herfy’s burgers which were popular. The “honors” classes were serious and hard. Lots of pressure to perform. One of her favorite teachers was Mr. Pringle for science. Bruce attended regular classes but his favorite teachers were Mr. Langus for history, Mr. O’Neil for government, and Mr. Burby for biology. Since Jeannie was in Boys and Girls club she tells us: Leadership was not a class, but was in the Girl’s and Boy’s club, so those two did a lot of the food drive and community support stuff, toy drive, food baskets. We went door to door asking for food, not at the grocery stores. We were not into the news paper or annual but the kids did do a really good job.
Major events back then was the ending of the Vietnam War and the boys no longer had to worry about being drafted. The draft was very scary Bruce and Jeannie tell us. We both remember watching news coverage of the TV. Lots of reports of deaths in the war. Earth Day began in 1971 and the Class of 1971 had a record number of pregnancies and abortion was legalized. Concerts were very popular and Jimmy Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Pacific Gas and Electric, the Youngbloods, and Steve Miller Band started the beginning of outdoor concerts with multiple bands. There was gas restriction because there were problems in the Middle East. People had to wait hours to get gas Bruce remembers. In 1996, Bruce also remembers that Neil Armstrong had landed on the moon.