Midway High School
Ann is much too modest to write about her high school achievements. She was an all state basketball player (back when a girl’s team had 6 members). She was named to the all state team twice – in both her junior and senior years. I don’t think I would have ever known that had I not seen the sleeve patch on her letter jacket after we got married. She was also valedictorian of her class, although she tried not to be. She didn’t want to have to make a speech.
By the time she reached high school, the South Bosque School had merged with another school to become Midway. At that time Midway was a class B school. Today it is a 5A school, and one of the most prestigious schools in the Waco area.
The most influential person in the development of Midway was M. T. Rice. Mr. Rice was both principal and girls basketball coach. He was a highly disciplined coach who got the best out of his girls. His teams won several state championships, some of them while Ann was in school. The school recently hosted the 51st annual M. T. Rice tournament, which is one of the premier basketball tournaments in the state of Texas.
Ann remembers his habit of sending in a substitute in to let her catch a breath. She knew she was in trouble when he said, “Sarah Ann, I want you to come here and sit by me.” Any other time she was Ann and it didn’t matter where she sat. He may have been hard as nails, but he left a lasting impression on her. He taught her how to mix discipline, integrity, and compassion.
When Ann’s class celebrated their fiftieth anniversary, we were given a tour of the new school, which was just about to open. The new school is a state-of-the- art facility in every way. They were installing “Cat 5” lines for their computers the day we were there. At one point, the principal showed us one of the new gyms (There was more than one). I noticed all of her class members were standing near the wall, so I walked out on the court to take their picture. The principal told the class members, “You can walk out here.” Ann immediately said, “Oh no, you can’t. Mr. Rice never allowed anybody to walk on a gym floor wearing street shoes.”
Ann was very close to all the members of her class. It was a very small class, and they bonded like brothers and sisters. They especially enjoyed acting in plays. Ann usually played the part of a Southern Belle. According to her that’s why even Texans often think she’s from Mississippi. She never tried to lose it when we moved north because she found out that people in the north love to hear her talk.
It’s been more than 55 years since these people were in school together, but they are still very close to each other. We usually get together for a meal when we go to Waco. Ann is probably the only one who lives a long distance from Waco. They call us, send Christmas cards, and keep in touch. Most of them are still alive and they care deeply about each other.
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