1949 Early in 1949 I became a Christian. I accepted Christ as my Savior after church one Sunday night. Daddy had preached a sermon on Hell and how to make sure you weren't going there. After we got home I told dad that I wanted to make sure and he led me to the Lord. I was baptized at Flemington Baptist Church. Dick was also baptized about the same time. I thank God I was brought up in a Christian home.

Baptism At Flemington Baptist Church
Left to right, Top Row: Rev. Fred Junior, Lindia Gieger, Sidney Stevenson, Dick Junior,Shirley Novinger, Barbara Junior, Dixie Junior, Christine Yawn, Mildred Wyche, Sue Junior, Carl Novington, Agnes Hannah, Mr. Novinger
First Row: Paul Dixon, Buddy Stevenson, Wayne Yawn, Patica Wyche
Photo hangs inside of church fellowship hall

I started the 12th grade and it was a happy and good year. Barbara Duff, Joyce Curl and Anne Schmidt were my best friends. Joyce started dating Wyndall Skipper so Morris, Joyce, Wyndall and I would get together and double date. We especially liked to go to Crescent Beach.

I was a cheerleader again so basketball games were a big part of our lives. I was on the staff to put our out annual. I studied hard and made good grades. Mom was our chaperone to Daytona Beach for Senior Skip Away Day.

Sue, Jim Morris and I liked to go on picnics at Silver Glen Springs in Jim's Model A Ford, until Mom found out I had to sit on Morris's lap. After that we couldn't go in Jim's' car.

Morris would come up on Fridays after work. He was working at the Chemistry Department at the U of F. (He started there in September l948.) He would eat supper with us and sometimes he'd spend the night sleeping on the couch in the living room. (Mom never did like that.) But if he didn't then he'd have to drive all way back home and come again on Saturday afternoon for our date that night. On Saturdays I worked for Daddy running the gift shop. He paid me $10 a week. I bought a set of dishes and an expensive set of Vita Craft pots and pans that summer.

On Saturday nights Daddy had Youth For Christ meeting in Ocala. He expected Morris and me to go to it of course we did. I played the marimba in the band that daddy got together and Morris sat down in the audience with Mom (he never was very happy about that). After that ended we started going to the movies (mostly the Drive Inn Theater) in Ocala. Mom and Dad said I couldn't go but I told them I was 18 and I thought I was old enough to make my own decisions. We'd stop at the drive-in to get something to eat after the show. It was l8 miles back to Oklawaha and I usually fell asleep. I never was one to stay up very late.

Barbara is standing behind her marimba, black blouse with glasses.  Her fater Rev. Fred Junior
 is on the front left. The twins Joan and Jean Mayfield in Barbara’s senior
class are the trumpet players on the right. 

Morris at the roadside stand

   Corky was my little baby at this time. He was so cute. When Morris would get to our house, Corky always wanted to go on our date with us. So we'd take him down to the drugstore in Oklawaha and sit at the soda fountain and let him drink a coke, then we'd take him home and tell him he went out on our date and he'd be happy. One time I was baby sitting him and not keeping an eye on him and he got into the pink paint that daddy used to paint the flamingos with. He had it all over him and everything else. I had no idea how to get if off from him so I put him in the back seat of the car and took him down to the hardware store in Oklawaha and the man at the store cleaned him up for me and told me how to clean up the mess at home.

*Read more about Barbara and Morris in 1949 in their Love Letters