Ray and college

I found out about this after I married Ray. When he was a senior in High School he wanted to go to college but his parents were not very wealthy and it looked impossible. While I always knew I would go where my parents went--Washburn. When Ray was a senior at Topeka High a representative from Washburn came to talk to the seniors about attending. Washburn was a Congregational college started by the church. They have many in the US. I'm not sure but think they started Yale or Harvard or both. The year before I went Washburn, it was about to close and my mother walked the streets with petitions to get Topeka to buy the school so it would not disappear. However it was not municipal yet when Ray was ready. They offered scholarships to students if they were willing to work on the grounds crew. Ray signed up and was put to work redoing the men's gym. I went to summer camp that year at Washburn and walked through the gym many times to the swimming pool but did not pay any attention that he was waxing the floor. He worked there until it was done and then was sent to wash windows. When he was on a ladder washing a second story window he fell and broke both wrists. He rode the bus home and his mother took him to have them set. It is not easy to do things with two broken wrists. He got a job with the US Post Office riding with someone on a rural route. I don't see how he was help but maybe company. After his wrists mended he went back to the grounds crew. He was able to attend Washburn and I guess in my class although I do not remember him. I remember him first as joining my church's youth group that was run by a history professor, Dr. Bright, from the college. The next story I will tell you is how we started dating.