An opening shout-out to our oldest son, Allan, on his 46th birthday last Tuesday. His home, Juneau, Alaska, is far, far away from Our Town.
Now for some re-living a portion of my youth, long, long ago, readers in Our Town and far , far beyond.
Back in the day, there was always a countdown before turning 16, and receiving your automobile driver's license. Almost all of my generation took driver's education in public school, and could, therefore, then drive with a licensed adult driver in the front seat, after we turned 15 1/2. Then at 16, we took our written and practical actual driving test with the state driver's examiner. If we passed both testing requirements, we received our own driver's license from the State of Oklahoma Department of Public Safety. Yes, it was a thrill to motor around the then simpler and less crowded streets in Our Town. The ultimate local thrill was to drag the strip between the original Sonic Drive-In on the south end of Main Street, and Griff's Drive-In on the north end of Main Street, about a mile away. To be seen driving a car in this area was one of our high school days highlights for sure!
However, there was a possible preceding highlight, too, if you were fortunate to have owned a 5-horsepower (hp) or less, 2-wheel motor scooter/cycle/Moped machine. Yes, at age 14, in the early 1960's, you could gain a great deal of personal independence by being licensed to drive one of those small motorized vehicles..
I was one of those fortunate individuals.
Because I had an afternoon paper route, delivering the daily Tulsa Tribune and Tulsa World on Sundays. I earned my own money to purchase a new shiny powder blue and chrome BSA 5-hp (175 cc) motorcycle. It was a United Kingdom bike, manufactured by the British Small Arms Company of Birmingham, England. It was beautiful looking, and even more fun to ride. I literally spent hours with it, cleaning the dirt, dust, and road grime off it, and made sure the chrome gas tank shined. My birthday is the first day of summer (June 21), and, therefore, I was not able to purchase and ride it until after school was out following my 8th grade year at Stillwater Junior High School. Oh, but I made up for lost time during my 9th grade year by riding it to school as much as possible. The feel of independence at that awkward adolescent age was exhilarating for me. I can remember (sort of?), riding down Our Town's streets, with a gentle breeze blowing against my young face. At that time, I did not have many cares on my mind to interfere with my youthful enthusiasm. I even took an 80-mile road trip to Ponca City and back with my classmate, Bruce, who purchased a motorcycle exactly like mine from the same dealer in Ponca City. You must admit, for 2 mid-teenage boys riding to Ponca City together on their own motorcycles in those days, was an event to talk about for many years.
I realize you may think motorized vehicles like these are dangerous, and I would certainly agree with you. Being a physician for almost half a century, I have seen some bad things happen to motorcycle riders/passengers. That is the main reason I never purchased another one after I sold mine in 1963, since I had received my automobile driver's license, However, because of all the joys I experienced aboard my BSA years ago, I have certainly considered owning another motorcycle. There is just too much down side for me regarding potential health risks, however.
Each time I see/hear a motorcycle roar by, it takes me back long, long ago. My memories immediately come alive of me holding the handlebars of my pretty BSA, and feeling the wind in my face, as my bike quickly accelerates down the road. Oh, well......
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