Day 6 - Part 1 - Rolla, Lebanon, Sedalia, and Sweet Springs

This day's blog is going to be separated into sections, because it was an incredibly full and fruitful day!!

We got up early to set out for our day's itinerary of Rolla, Lebanon, Sedalia, Sweet Springs, Lexington (again), Mayview (again), and Oak Grove (again).

Our first stop was the Missouri University of Science and Technology, formerly known as the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy in Rolla, MO.  

Dad received his Bachelors and Masters degrees at this school.  The campus has grown immensely and has many more women than it had 65 years ago!  We were able to find the original buildings that housed the school when Dad was there and we took a photo outside the Chemical Engineering Building where he had a lab.

1949

2011

After an hour on the campus, it was off for a beautiful drive to Lebanon, where Dad and Marion graduated from High School.  

The town of Lebanon has grown, but Commercial Street, where Grandpa managed the Mattingly's Department Store, remains very much the same.

Dad in front of the old Mattingly's Department Store

Dad had a job as a soda jerk at Knight's Drug Store across the street.

Lebanon High School (now Junior High School)

We almost left town without trying to find the site of his old High School, since he knew that a new HS was built 20 years ago and thought the old school had most likely been torn down.  We stopped a lady on the street downtown (who looked like she might have been in Lebanon a good while) and she was most helpful!  She told us where to go and we found the old HS building, which is now the central part of the new Junior HS!  We went in and got a little tour.  They were pleased to welcome back such an "old" alum!

1943 class at Lebanon High.  Dad is second from left, front row, holding Army/Navy sign.

Lebanon JHS today.  Taller building is the original HS.

The old entrance to the HS

These are the steps that led into school when Hal and Marion attended.  Can't you just picture them here?

 Next, a drive up through the Lake of the Ozarks on the way to our next destination, Sedalia, MO

Dad's family moved to Sedalia in 1933 and lived there for one year before moving to the Mayview Farm when his grandmother died.

This is the only picture we took in Sedalia.  No houses or schools that he remembered.
Just passed through to say we'd been there.

Now it's on a few miles to Sweet Springs, where Dad's family lived from 1931 - 33.  Some of his favorite memories were of picnics in the park when Uncle Doug came to visit from Mayview.  There is a sulphur spring in Sweet Springs and Uncle Doug used to fill up jugs to take back to Mayview.  The park and spring are still there.  Beautiful and STINKY!!

Next Blogs -  Lexington, Mayview and Oak Grove