Abide by the Patrol

 September 12, 1969, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

I became an eighth grader the year after this photo was taken and Mr. Simon was my eighth grade teacher for history and geography.  And yes, I too, was a member of the esteemed safety patrol, though he wasn't the advisor that year.  I was brave enough to stop traffic at the intersection of Second and Racine Streets, though I didn't have a vest.  Instead, I wore a bright, blaze orange Sam Browne type belt that went around my waist and then had the shoulder strap that went over my torso diagonally and cinched to the waist belt.  Included, was a classy silver AAA badge, which definitely was a dead giveaway as to who was sponsoring that year.  What I really wanted was a cool stop sign to hold up to get the traffic's attention, but I was relegated to just using hand signals, with the idea that the orange belt was attention-getting enough.  Funny how important things are to a kid; it should have been enough to have had the badge and belt.