One of the things that we all had to learn was how to live life and to go forward after graduating from Union High School. Many of us have some great stories and also some stories that are not so great, but one of the things that I remember and it may seem simple to some…. was the fear of driving on the big interstate highways and in the big cities. I had never driven on a big interstate highway and driving in Lewisburg was the biggest place that I had driven. I can still remember my grandfather, who by the way had never had a driver’s license, would say ”People get killed every day on them big interstate highways!” and also ”People get killed every day in them big cities!”

The first time I drove to Pittsburgh…I got totally lost and it was a dramatic experience for me. All of the fears that had been instilled in me as I grew up had been released, but I did manage to find my way.

A few years back I had to go to Germany on business, looking to buying some special equipment. I flew to Frankford where I rented a car to go to Siegen, Germany. The only instructions I had to get to this place was some scribbled notes and it was a three hour trip from Frankford. About seventy five per cent of the trip was on the Autobahn…so when in Germany, do as the Germans do…so sure enough I drove 100 miles per hour….it wasn’t really bad once you got used to it. At 75 miles per hour, the cars would pass you and the drivers would look at you like… What is wrong with you?….you must be an American! Sometimes I think, if my grandfather could see me now, he would probably say “How did you stay alive all of those years!”

One of the basic things we had to overcome was some of the fears we learned from stories told by family and friends as children, in the area where we were raised. The big highways and the big cities were not as bad as I had feared.

John Kidd
Class of 1961