Mary Elson Carlson

806 549 7010

Career teacher. Elementary PE for 6 years, then vet school at CSU class of '87. Opened a cat practice in our home out of a one car garage. Also went back to teaching, this time middle school science. I retired in 2006 from teaching. Been a relief vet-not just cats. In 23and 24, I worked for a friend who is dying, to keep the clinic open until the new owner graduated from school '24. She lives in, get this, Padroni Colorado. Raise you hand if you've even heard of it. Her commute to school and clinic is 2 hours, but she has a place down here. Padroni is an unincorporated town near Sterling, NE Colorado. Her husband is a prison guard in Sterling. She is going to open a large animal clinic. She is very close to Nebraska, and a little farther to Wyoming. But large animal vets come to you, so she should be able to do Wyoming. The only thing which puzzles me is she will not be working on horses. I did our horses over the years, and loved it, esp. acupuncture our horse of a lifetime, who lived to thirty. When I was working gratis for Ursula, a 40-year friend, she was so good with exotics. I worked on turtles, birds, guinea pigs, rats (make great pets), snakes, etc. Ursula would be there. Porsche, still a student, had volunteered for 13 years sometimes came in. If it was just she, and not Ursula, who stayed in the back mostly, Porsche needed to have a licensed vet on the premises. It was fun. Sometimes I think I should have gone to med school, but you can't help being in a business which, in spite of the sad things, there are always smiles. I adored vet school. They would send cats to me. My most honored moment was the neurologist calling me for advice. He was classmates with my FIL, '52. I saw him at a funeral-I go to all prof's funerals, he, his lovely wife, and I struck up a relationship. I took Ivy sometimes.

I am a story-teller by nature, and I rarely forget something. My mind remembers practically everything. Here are some memories Braeside to HPHS:

-Miss Schottenstein, later Mrs. Less, falling flat on her face after hooking high heels in the rug.
-The ice rink and nighttime hot chocolate from the warming house.
-Being asked by Melanie to be her seat mate in 4th grade.
-Mr. McCabe throwing his laser piece of chalk and hitting Linda Warshauer. Ouch!
-Reading SRI levels. Tach X,where numbers were shown short or fast. That was great.
-Edgewood was horrible for me 6th grade(getting in touch with Ronna Bows with whom I went to Andy's camp)
-typing class with Mr. Uramkin. My first D ever, but my hands were so small.
-the two most valuable classes at Edgewood were typing and VR.
-Mr Putman 7th science, building radios in Mr Lee's 6th grade science. Mr Stauffer, my first real teacher crush. 1/2 the hear chemistry, 1/2 the year bio. Dissecting a frog.
-Miss Pond, 8th grade English, whispering something in my ear. Told me to read more advanced books.
-I remember lots from HPHS. Maybe this is too long, but I like to write. I remember all my teachers, used to know my schedule. Mr. Winkley for algebra. Loved geometry so much with Miss Dietrich, I asked and was put in her class, but they put me back in Mr. Winkley's class. There also was a raffle of some type. I, Nancy Milne Gus(lives here since 77 after visiting me) and Peachy Redfield winning a visit to Mr. Winkley's farm over the border in WI, riding, milking cows, etc. Wonderful day.
-Getting on PomPon sr year b/c a cheerleader didn't make grades, so a PomPon moved up, and I guess I was first runner up, because I got a call, and burst into tears! It was fun. Also picking new girls for next year. I had a few to call, and I will never forget calling Sandy Emalfarb to tell her she made the team.
-Total gym rat, HGA, first sports teams for girls. 5 sports. The gym staff, the pranks, and lifetime friends. A whole crowd majored in PE. Wisconsin/LaCross was the temple of PE training. I went out to Fort Collins because I had my favorite uncle living there.
-Leslie Podall and I being good friends. She got leukemia, total death sentence in those days. Records have her death incorrect. She died 4/1/68. Her brother, Chuck and I went out on my first date-Bonnie and Clyde at Edens 1, where I later worked before college.
-Laurie Bartholomew made me laugh hysterically in Latin when Miss Joyner called on me. I could not get any words out.
-Miss Joyner practically begging me and Ruth Blank to take 4th year Latin, but we had a class called Senior Leaders same periods. Interesting factoid: Ruth and I were the only ones to become vets in our class.
-The counseling office and E. Bock, Mr. Bock's mother-Mr. Bock taught shop at Edgewood, but it changed to be 4 different units-shop, art, cooking and sewing.
-Thinking Mr. Hironimus was gay-then I read his obit a couple of years ago.
-Jolene Vole getting called out of science because her dad had passed.
Gotta go, will do more later. Levy and I are on the same plane tomorrow, except, dang it, I am using airline miles, and will be upfront. Love to all. Finish later.