Leslie Davis Smith

After graduation I chose to work rather than go to college. I'm sure as many of you know, being raised by a military man my choices were college or work...as in now! I began working at the Washington Navy Yard in D.C. the summer of 1966. That same summer my father was transferred to Clark AB in the Philippines and my 19 year old brother got drafted into the Army. I stayed in Maryland to continue working. Then In 1968 I joined my parents in the Philippines while my father served in Viet Nam as an Air Force pilot. After his tour he was stationed at MacDill AFB in Tampa, FL. I worked on the base until finding a full-time job in the insurance industry. I married in 1975, moved to Oklahoma City, had two children, divorced in 1982 and continued working in the insurance business. In 1996, my long-time employer downsized and I was laid off. I took medical coding and transcription classes and worked from home for 17 years transcribing for orthopedic clinics. That industry folded in 2014 and I retired. While deciding my next course of action, I opened a small jewelry shop on Etsy creating and selling leather bracelets and key chains. In 2016 through current 2020 I have been working at TJ Maxx here in OKC and love it. With the current virus situation, I've been off for 8 weeks but are reopening this coming week....masks and all. Should be fun...

I entered Crossland High just after classes had resumed following the holiday break in 1964. I had spent the past 2 1/2 years in Japan prior to coming to Maryland (Andrews AFB). I still vividly remember going to my first class. The halls were empty as the classes were in session by the time I checked in and got my schedule. I found my first class but when I tried to enter the room, the door was locked. I stood there like an idiot wondering if I had the wrong room (thinking I probably had a janitor closet or worse) and I wasn't sure what to do. I was fairly shy back then, as anyone growing up in the military life might know how you have to re-invent yourself again and again from moving frequently. About that time, this nice guy* stopped to help me out. He knocked on the door, the door opened and I was looking straight down the middle aisle to the desk where there was a coach who had his feet up on the desk and was tilted back in his chair! Turns out he was subbing and having some fun in first period! Once again, that dreaded walk down the aisle knowing you were being watched by everyone, to the desk wherein the coach asked my name and where I was from. I answered Japan and he said "you don't look Japanese"...! I'm sure I was comatose with fear by that time and I just giggled uncomfortably. Thus began my life at Crossland HS! *The student, by the way, who had helped out was Duke Walsh, and I later found out he was a big star athlete at school. Kind of crushed on him the remaining time at Crossland....but alas. So, life began again like it always did; you made new friends and moved forward a day at a time until everything became the "norm" once again.