Favorite Memories > Humanities Class
Newport High School, Winter 1968

Submitted by Bob Purser (retired art instructor)

The early years of Bellevue Community College were held at Newport High. There was the indication that the State was taking over the community college system so the school district was holding back from starting the building phase despite the fact that the land had been purchased at Eastgate.

One of the things I recall most vividly about the time I taught at Newport High was a coordinated humanities class. I taught it with Kae Edmiston (Hutchison) and Pauline Grabill (Christiansen). Since BCC classes didn’t start until after the high school was out, at 3:00 PM, the three of us took advantage of mid-week ski slopes with no lines. We usually got back to Bellevue just in time to jump in our cars, dash home and dress for class. But on a few occasions we enjoyed the slopes too long and ended up teaching in our ski attire.

We were really green teachers. Pauline had taught high school for a year. Kae was at BCC two quarters before I began in September 1966. The class was first taught winter or our second year at Newport High. I taught the art appreciation, Pauline literature and Kae music. Pauline thought, “Aha, this is college and I can really get into some heavy novels.” One was by the Frenchman Rob Grillet titled, The Lime Twig. No one understood anything in this avante garde work. But Pauline patiently talked us through it, explaining all the metaphors, etc. She next took us through Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon. I think the last novel was a bit lighter, like maybe Faulkner. After reading these novels it was not always easy to be real cheerful.

Kae had a most creative project with students making musical instruments from found and recyclable objects. Some to the results were wonderful. Many figured out how to tune them to a proper scale. I don’t remember a thing I taught. We taught the class one more time in B-104 on the new campus. It was probably our first year there. Kae was very pregnant with her first child and we lectured from a stage that was then part of the room. I think Kae was quite self conscious as mini skirts were the fashion and an expectant mom looked pretty silly.

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