"Times Mom Stood Up For Me" -- Red Pants in Junior High School

I don’t particularly like school uniforms, which I had to wear for the four years I attended a parochial elementary school. I was delivered from the uniform obligation when I transferred to public school in the 4^th grade. From then on, the freedom to choose what I would wear to school didn’t seem to be a particularly controversial issue. Except once.

In 1958, at the start of 8^th grade, Mom bought me new school clothes, including a red shirt, red pants and red corduroy sneakers. She thought it weird that I wanted to wear red pants, but they were neat, clean and properly fitted. So, one day off to school I went in my all red outfit.

To my surprise, I was promptly hauled down to the vice principal’s office, where I was told, "Don’t ever wear red pants to school again."

I didn’t even know we had a dress code, other than having to wear shoes and a shirt. I suppose it never specifically occurred to school officials that anyone would wear red pants.

In any event, when I got home, I told Mom what had happened. She asked me how I felt about it and I said, "I like my red pants."

She said, "Wear them to school again tomorrow."

So I did. And once again found myself in the vice principal’s office. I told him that my mother had said to call her. He did and I heard him introduce himself.

Which was the last thing he said, other than "yes, ma’am", and "no, ma’am", for about five minutes. He finished his end of the conversation by saying, "yes, ma’am, thank you", after which he told me to return to my class.

And never was heard another disparaging word about my red pants.

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Mom with Dad & I at my Graduation from West Point, June 7, 1967.