This story began 66 years ago, just before Tanya Lee Shook and Laura Beth Dixon turned six and were placed in Ms. Putnam’s first grade class together. Gasp! Yes, we are now 72… and still going strong.
Truth is we probably met a few years earlier, at our friend Sandy Kirk’s second birthday party. Sandy is quite a bit older; well, six months or so, but when you are turning two, that’s a 25% difference!) The Shooks and Kirks were neighbors, and the Kirks and Dixons went to church together. (All three fathers were great fishing buddies!)
Our lasting friendship began at Demonstration (Appalachian) Elementary School, when we began our long education journey together. From the freshly-painted red rocking chair to Calico the papier macho horse to “I never saw a purple cow,” we learned to read and write and so much more from Ms. Putnam.
As it turned out, first grade was literally just the beginning! We were assigned to the same teachers throughout elementary school: Putnam, Davis, Davis (yes, same one for two grades), Goodman, Buckland, Randall, Petrey/Triplett/Dietrich, Hamby/Day/Harvey! And then it was on to Watauga High School where we were in many of the same classes together throughout our four years. We also had many of the same friends and were in the same clubs, both in school and in Girl Scouts as well. Many stories could be told! (and more will in the rewrite!)
The Girls Scout memories stand out! All the bake sales and day camp. And the grand finale, our trip to the Bahamas during our senior year. For me, and perhaps for Tanya (confirmation needed), it was my first flight and my first cruise. Many from that group of friends continue to this day to be people on whom I know I can call if I ever need anything. The lyrics “Make new friends, but keep the old…” truly apply to us.
But wait! The TLS/LBD education journey did not stop with high school graduation! We both attended Appalachian State University and for two of the three years I was there we actually lived in the same dormitory! Tanya majored in Spanish and I, in Math so we did not have many (if any) classes together, but we saw each other almost daily. Part of our shared experience was the utter agony of finding long hair left in the sinks of the hall bathrooms. (We precede suites and more private bathrooms!)
And then, nearly 20 years after our first encounter, our paths diverged. Yes, adulthood struck. Jobs, families, moves, family illnesses/deaths, … but the friendship continued/s. There were years where we only saw each other occasionally, at reunions or the occasional wedding or funeral (those are becoming far too frequent). But the bond between us was never broken.
Now that we are both retired, we find ourselves drawing even closer. We had our children at about the same age, and now we have granddaughters born in the same year (2023). We message on Facebook, text on our phones, share an occasional email, and yes we actually TALK on the phone sometimes.
I have a letter (remember those?) Tanya sent me forty years ago next month. My mother had been in the hospital for exactly one month; what we thought was a “coma” was actually much worse, and she would pass away nine months later never having regained consciousness. Tanya was living many states away, but she took the time to write these words: “People who don’t share your past and know what you’re all about and where you came from sometimes don’t understand what makes you ‘tick.’ ” We know each other’s pasts- and our presents. We will always- ALWAYS- be there for each other. I love you, Tanya Lee!
bethdlayton 