Memoir
The Great Golf Match
It was a bright and sunny day close to the end of August. My mom had just received a call from one of the women she plays golf with in the East End tournament. She said they were down a player and asked if my mom could find a fourth player on such short notice. Without thinking twice she said“Hannah can do it.” I was excited at first but as the day came closer I got nervous. I was wondering if I would be able to keep up with the adults and with the teams winning streak.
The day came I was feeling nervous but I knew everything would be fine. When we got to the course I helped my dad unpack the car and sign in. As I was bringing my bag over I could feel the people staring at me thinking to themselves what is she doing here. I could also hear the murmuring of the men. They were saying things like “Look they have a kid on their team maybe we could actually win this year” and “she will only hold them back.” The team I was on was the only all-female team and besides us there was only one other.
When we got to the first tee I stepped up first. The ball didn’t go too far only about thirty-five yards. Luckily we had to play the best shot among the four of us so mine didn’t matter. When we got to the next hole I wasn’t worried. It was a simple eight iron. But guess what? I didn’t play that hole to well either. By this time I was frustrated nothing was going the way I wanted it to. But when we got to the next tee I had to recollect myself by telling myself to calm down and that I could do it. Then, BANG! I whacked a beautiful shot right down the center in the nice almost carpet like fairway. We decided to play my shot. When we got to the ball the distance finder said we were two-hundred and ten yards from the green. My mom said that I could hit since I can’t anything that far. Also since all my shots that day had gone only four yards in front of me. She was almost wrong. I smacked it at least two-hundred and seven yards almost hitting the team in front of us. At this point I was feeling good and was starting to play better.
By the end of the round we were three under which was good but I didn’t know how the other teams preformed. We met my dad up at the club house and headed over to East End. On the way there I started to feel anxious to see how we performed. When we got there we walked into the pavilion where all you could smell was all the food. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I walked in. My stomach began growling at me. The food was so good that everyone went back for seconds even if they were full.
Once everyone was done eating it was time to announce the winners of first second and third place. In first place was a group of guys I didn’t recognize. But in second place was us the “Divot Chicks”, I for one think this is an awful name but that doesn’t matter. When they called our name I was so surprised. So was the rest of the room when I stood up. I was smiling so much my mouth began to hurt. In third place was my dad’s group. They were ecstatic but my uncle still made a face at me. After everything was announced I went outside to walk around the camp. While I was walking everyone came up to me to say congratulations and that I surprised them. Denise said “Wow girl, now you know when your famous you have to remember everyone here especially me!” I told her “How could I ever forget you.” Mr. LaBuff asked me how often I play and I told him, “I’m on the SBRHS golf team and we have practice every day.” This really showed me that I could play competitively and not mess up under the pressure.
It was a bright and sunny day close to the end of August. My mom had just received a call from one of the women she plays golf with in the East End tournament. She said they were down a player and asked if my mom could find a fourth player on such short notice. Without thinking twice she said“Hannah can do it.” I was excited at first but as the day came closer I got nervous. I was wondering if I would be able to keep up with the adults and with the teams winning streak.
The day came I was feeling nervous but I knew everything would be fine. When we got to the course I helped my dad unpack the car and sign in. As I was bringing my bag over I could feel the people staring at me thinking to themselves what is she doing here. I could also hear the murmuring of the men. They were saying things like “Look they have a kid on their team maybe we could actually win this year” and “she will only hold them back.” The team I was on was the only all-female team and besides us there was only one other.
When we got to the first tee I stepped up first. The ball didn’t go too far only about thirty-five yards. Luckily we had to play the best shot among the four of us so mine didn’t matter. When we got to the next hole I wasn’t worried. It was a simple eight iron. But guess what? I didn’t play that hole to well either. By this time I was frustrated nothing was going the way I wanted it to. But when we got to the next tee I had to recollect myself by telling myself to calm down and that I could do it. Then, BANG! I whacked a beautiful shot right down the center in the nice almost carpet like fairway. We decided to play my shot. When we got to the ball the distance finder said we were two-hundred and ten yards from the green. My mom said that I could hit since I can’t anything that far. Also since all my shots that day had gone only four yards in front of me. She was almost wrong. I smacked it at least two-hundred and seven yards almost hitting the team in front of us. At this point I was feeling good and was starting to play better.
By the end of the round we were three under which was good but I didn’t know how the other teams preformed. We met my dad up at the club house and headed over to East End. On the way there I started to feel anxious to see how we performed. When we got there we walked into the pavilion where all you could smell was all the food. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I walked in. My stomach began growling at me. The food was so good that everyone went back for seconds even if they were full.
Once everyone was done eating it was time to announce the winners of first second and third place. In first place was a group of guys I didn’t recognize. But in second place was us the “Divot Chicks”, I for one think this is an awful name but that doesn’t matter. When they called our name I was so surprised. So was the rest of the room when I stood up. I was smiling so much my mouth began to hurt. In third place was my dad’s group. They were ecstatic but my uncle still made a face at me. After everything was announced I went outside to walk around the camp. While I was walking everyone came up to me to say congratulations and that I surprised them. Denise said “Wow girl, now you know when your famous you have to remember everyone here especially me!” I told her “How could I ever forget you.” Mr. LaBuff asked me how often I play and I told him, “I’m on the SBRHS golf team and we have practice every day.” This really showed me that I could play competitively and not mess up under the pressure.
Character Sketch: Kiley Battles
I walk into a room and everyone looks at me and smiles. Just the sight of me makes people happy. Everyone thinks I’m beautiful, the cross country star. As I walk everyone says “Hey Kiley” or “Look it's Kiley Battles. They all see me as the happy girl who loves school, is smart, and has lots of friends. But, I’m a very complicated person and the same time. The like me because I’m different. They just don’t know how different I am. They see my blonde hair, my green eyes, my sweatshirt, skinny jeans, and high-tops.
They see me as the funny girl that everyone will remember. They see my quirks, they notice that when I talk I open my eyes really wide. But this is all they see. They know me as the captain of the cross country team and a really good softball player. That’s all they think I am. What they don’t realize is when I go home I have troubles what they don’t know is that I’m dyslexic.
The only person from school who knows is Baily. Baily is my best friend and id trust her with my life and all my secrets. When she comes over we head to the woods to our secret spot to talk she lets me vent to her and I the same. We could talk in my room but my family is insane and is always eavesdropping. Our conversations normally go like this “ How was your day,” asks Baily “ok” I say“But I’m having trouble in English again”. “That’s ok I can help you. What do you have for homework?” She says. After I tell what I have for homework we get to work. To help me with my reading she has me read out loud. We work page by page and answer one question at a time. When I struggle on a word she doesn’t hesitate to help me through it. I have trouble in my other classes to, especially History. But, she helps me work through it. It takes a long time but it eventually gets done. After we finish our homework we start to walk back to the house and that’s when we really start to talk. I tell her how I’ve been feeling lately and how I’ve been doing in class without her help. I also like always how glad I am to have her because I don’t know what I would do without her.
They see me as the funny girl that everyone will remember. They see my quirks, they notice that when I talk I open my eyes really wide. But this is all they see. They know me as the captain of the cross country team and a really good softball player. That’s all they think I am. What they don’t realize is when I go home I have troubles what they don’t know is that I’m dyslexic.
The only person from school who knows is Baily. Baily is my best friend and id trust her with my life and all my secrets. When she comes over we head to the woods to our secret spot to talk she lets me vent to her and I the same. We could talk in my room but my family is insane and is always eavesdropping. Our conversations normally go like this “ How was your day,” asks Baily “ok” I say“But I’m having trouble in English again”. “That’s ok I can help you. What do you have for homework?” She says. After I tell what I have for homework we get to work. To help me with my reading she has me read out loud. We work page by page and answer one question at a time. When I struggle on a word she doesn’t hesitate to help me through it. I have trouble in my other classes to, especially History. But, she helps me work through it. It takes a long time but it eventually gets done. After we finish our homework we start to walk back to the house and that’s when we really start to talk. I tell her how I’ve been feeling lately and how I’ve been doing in class without her help. I also like always how glad I am to have her because I don’t know what I would do without her.
I-Search Final Findings
Background: The Civil Rights Movement in the United States took place from the 1950's-1970's. It was a time when many reforms took place to stop racial discrimination and racism against African Americans. African Americans were treated like a lower class and were not allowed to eat at the same restaurants, drink from the same drinking fountain, attend the same schools, or ride in the same train cars as white people. One of the first reforms was to integrate all public schools.
The law at the time was based on the Supreme Court decision Plessy v. Ferguson of 1896 which allowed “separate but equal”school systems for black and white children(library.thinkquest.com/brownvboardofeducation). But in 1951, Oliver Brown and thirteen other parents filed a lawsuit against the Topeka Board of Education (Topeka, Kansas) for their children. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) hired lawyers for Brown. Brown and the other parents claimed their children were not treated fairly because they were
black. They claimed that $150.00 was spent on every white student at white schools while only $50.00 was spent on every African American student at black schools. They also claimed that the black only schools did not have the most current textbooks, not enough supplies and were overcrowded (library.thinkquest.com/brownvboardofeducation). Brown lost at the state level but NAACP chose to go all the way to the United States Supreme Court. In 1954, the Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of“separate but equal”. In 1955, a court decision known as Brown II required all schools within the United States to desegregate “with all deliberate speed”.Desegregation was now the “law of the land” (Infotrac.com/executive order10730).
Integration of Little Rock: The Brown decision caused anger, fear, and violence, especially throughout the southern United States. Many southerners, including some governors, feared there would be interracial relationships if desegregation occurred. Despite the fears, the Board of Education in Little Rock, Arkansas adopted a plan to comply with desegregation (Infotrac.com/executive order10730). The School Board planned to integrate Central High School in the fall of 1957. The School Board had selected 17 students out of the 80 that applied to attend the high school. Only 9 of those students chose to attend Central High School. They were Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Patillo, Gloria Ray, Terrance Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, and Carlotta Walls. Daisy Bates, the state president of the NAACP, was their advisor (worldbook.com/littlerocknine). These 9 students became known as the
Little Rock Nine.
Governor of Arkansas Responds: The Arkansas Governor, Orval Faubus, refused to comply with the school board and he ordered the Arkansas National Guard to Central High School on September 3, 1957 to prevent the Little Rock Nine from entering the school (Infotrac.com/executive order10730). Faubus warned that, “there would be blood in the streets’ if the black students tried to enter the
high school. Daisy Bates tried to organize the Nine to enter the school together on September 4, 1957, but was unable to contact Elizabeth Eckford. When Elizabeth tried to enter the school on her own, she faced threats and taunts from an angry white mob and the National Guard blocked her from
entering the school. Grace Lorch, a white woman in the crowd at the high school, was the only person to help Eckford to safety (Infotrac.com/executive order10730;worldbook.com/littlerocknine).
On September 14, 1957, Governor Faubus met with President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Governor Faubus agreed to use the National Guard to protect the Little Rock Nine instead of preventing them from attending school. However, when Faubus returned to Little Rock, he withdrew the National Guard from Central High School which left the Little Rock Nine unprotected. Local police helped the students enter and leave the building but offered them no protection in school. For the next week, angry crowds of white citizens physically blocked the school entrance which prevented the Nine from attending any classes (Infotrac.com/executive order10730).
Executive Order 10730: On September 23, 1957, President Eisenhower issued the Executive Order 10730 to enforce the desegregation order. This sent federal troops into Arkansas and placed the Arkansas National Guard under federal command. The order was to provide federal assistance for the removal of any obstruction of justice in Arkansas. He ordered that anyone who was in “willful obstruction of justice” of the laws of the United States or anyone who “makes it impracticable to enforce such laws” to cease and desist. “The Secretary of Defense is authorized and directed to take all appropriate steps to enforce any orders of the United States District Court for the Eastern district of Arkansas for the removal of obstruction of justice in the state of Arkansas with respect to matters relating to the enrollment and attendance at public schools in Little Rock School District, Little Rock, Arkansas” (Infotrac.com/executiveorder10730). President Eisenhower ordered the 101stAirborne Division and the US Army to Little Rock to enforce the court order. Each of the Little Rock Nine had a guard to personally protect them and on September 25, 1957, the Army escorted the Nine into Central High School(worldbook.com/littlerockcentralhighschoolhistoricsite).
Protests continued outside the school and the Nine were threatened and harassed throughout the school year. Minnijean Brown was expelled for retaliating against attacks from white students. Earnest Green, the only senior in the Nine, graduated on May 27, 1958 and became the first African American to graduate from Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansa(worldbook.com/littlerocknine).
Bibliography
"Brown v. Board of Education." ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation, n.d. Web. 29 May 2013.
Eisenhower, Dwight D.“Executive Order 10730.” Social Policy: Essential Primary sources. Ed. K. Lee Lerner, Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, and Adrienne Wilmoth Lerner. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 222-225. World
History in Context. Web. 6 May 2013.
“Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site.” World Book Student. World Book, 2013. Web. 14 May 2013.
“Little Rock Nine.” World Book Student..World Book, 2012. Web. 13 May 2013.
The law at the time was based on the Supreme Court decision Plessy v. Ferguson of 1896 which allowed “separate but equal”school systems for black and white children(library.thinkquest.com/brownvboardofeducation). But in 1951, Oliver Brown and thirteen other parents filed a lawsuit against the Topeka Board of Education (Topeka, Kansas) for their children. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) hired lawyers for Brown. Brown and the other parents claimed their children were not treated fairly because they were
black. They claimed that $150.00 was spent on every white student at white schools while only $50.00 was spent on every African American student at black schools. They also claimed that the black only schools did not have the most current textbooks, not enough supplies and were overcrowded (library.thinkquest.com/brownvboardofeducation). Brown lost at the state level but NAACP chose to go all the way to the United States Supreme Court. In 1954, the Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of“separate but equal”. In 1955, a court decision known as Brown II required all schools within the United States to desegregate “with all deliberate speed”.Desegregation was now the “law of the land” (Infotrac.com/executive order10730).
Integration of Little Rock: The Brown decision caused anger, fear, and violence, especially throughout the southern United States. Many southerners, including some governors, feared there would be interracial relationships if desegregation occurred. Despite the fears, the Board of Education in Little Rock, Arkansas adopted a plan to comply with desegregation (Infotrac.com/executive order10730). The School Board planned to integrate Central High School in the fall of 1957. The School Board had selected 17 students out of the 80 that applied to attend the high school. Only 9 of those students chose to attend Central High School. They were Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Patillo, Gloria Ray, Terrance Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, and Carlotta Walls. Daisy Bates, the state president of the NAACP, was their advisor (worldbook.com/littlerocknine). These 9 students became known as the
Little Rock Nine.
Governor of Arkansas Responds: The Arkansas Governor, Orval Faubus, refused to comply with the school board and he ordered the Arkansas National Guard to Central High School on September 3, 1957 to prevent the Little Rock Nine from entering the school (Infotrac.com/executive order10730). Faubus warned that, “there would be blood in the streets’ if the black students tried to enter the
high school. Daisy Bates tried to organize the Nine to enter the school together on September 4, 1957, but was unable to contact Elizabeth Eckford. When Elizabeth tried to enter the school on her own, she faced threats and taunts from an angry white mob and the National Guard blocked her from
entering the school. Grace Lorch, a white woman in the crowd at the high school, was the only person to help Eckford to safety (Infotrac.com/executive order10730;worldbook.com/littlerocknine).
On September 14, 1957, Governor Faubus met with President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Governor Faubus agreed to use the National Guard to protect the Little Rock Nine instead of preventing them from attending school. However, when Faubus returned to Little Rock, he withdrew the National Guard from Central High School which left the Little Rock Nine unprotected. Local police helped the students enter and leave the building but offered them no protection in school. For the next week, angry crowds of white citizens physically blocked the school entrance which prevented the Nine from attending any classes (Infotrac.com/executive order10730).
Executive Order 10730: On September 23, 1957, President Eisenhower issued the Executive Order 10730 to enforce the desegregation order. This sent federal troops into Arkansas and placed the Arkansas National Guard under federal command. The order was to provide federal assistance for the removal of any obstruction of justice in Arkansas. He ordered that anyone who was in “willful obstruction of justice” of the laws of the United States or anyone who “makes it impracticable to enforce such laws” to cease and desist. “The Secretary of Defense is authorized and directed to take all appropriate steps to enforce any orders of the United States District Court for the Eastern district of Arkansas for the removal of obstruction of justice in the state of Arkansas with respect to matters relating to the enrollment and attendance at public schools in Little Rock School District, Little Rock, Arkansas” (Infotrac.com/executiveorder10730). President Eisenhower ordered the 101stAirborne Division and the US Army to Little Rock to enforce the court order. Each of the Little Rock Nine had a guard to personally protect them and on September 25, 1957, the Army escorted the Nine into Central High School(worldbook.com/littlerockcentralhighschoolhistoricsite).
Protests continued outside the school and the Nine were threatened and harassed throughout the school year. Minnijean Brown was expelled for retaliating against attacks from white students. Earnest Green, the only senior in the Nine, graduated on May 27, 1958 and became the first African American to graduate from Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansa(worldbook.com/littlerocknine).
Bibliography
"Brown v. Board of Education." ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation, n.d. Web. 29 May 2013.
Eisenhower, Dwight D.“Executive Order 10730.” Social Policy: Essential Primary sources. Ed. K. Lee Lerner, Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, and Adrienne Wilmoth Lerner. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 222-225. World
History in Context. Web. 6 May 2013.
“Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site.” World Book Student. World Book, 2013. Web. 14 May 2013.
“Little Rock Nine.” World Book Student..World Book, 2012. Web. 13 May 2013.