Gerald (Jerry) Priest
Item
Title
Gerald (Jerry) Priest
Remember Those Days
Interview with Gerald Jerry Priest
Jen Weidner 0:02: This is Jen Weidner of the Jeffersonville Township Public Library I'm conducting interviews for Remember Those Days, Jeffersonville High School 1950 through 1970, an oral history project with a grant from the Indiana Genealogical Society. I'm here today with Gerald Jerry priest. Jerry Who were your parents.
Jerry Priest 0:21: Robert Darrell Priest and Ruth Priest
Jen Weidner 0:26: And where did you live while you were in high school.
Jerry Priest 0:30: Well, when I was a freshman, seventh, eighth grade and freshman my, [we] lived on Market Street, 515 W. Market Street
Jen Weidner 0:43: So that was in downtown Jeffersonville.
Jerry Priest 0:45: Correct. And then we moved to 1010 Pratt Street. And I was there like, maybe, 10, 11, 12th grade. Then I joined the Marine Corps.
Jen Weidner 0:56: Okay. Um, did you marry anyone that went to Jeff High?
Jerry Priest1:01: Linda Weidner.
Jen Weidner 1:03: Okay. She's my aunt, by the way. What years did you attend Jeff High?
Jerry Priest 1:09: I went there 1956 – 1959.
Jen Weidner 1:15: Okay. Were you in any sports or any clubs?
Jerry Priest 1:18: I was on the wrestling team, at that time, and uhh, that was it.
Jen Weidner 1:24: Any fond memories from the wrestling team?
Jerry Priest 1:26: (laughs) No.
Jen Weidner 1:29: Okay, do you remember about how many students were in your graduating class? You can estimate.
Jerry Priest 1:36: Probably less than 100 back then.
Jen Weidner 1:40: Oh, Wow! So yeah, because I think graduating there now is like 400, per class so yeah, big difference. Do you remember anything about the school classrooms teachers?
Jerry Priest 1:50: I don't remember anything important. We had the library and everything right there. The junior high and the high school were basically in the same building. Except one was at one end and one is in the other end of the building at Jeff High and it’s a regular classes. You know?
Jen Weidner 2:18: Did you have a favorite subject?
Jerry Priest 2:21: I think my favorite subject was math, and uh the rest of it was just whatever. I liked math.
Jen Weidner 2:34: What are some of your fondest memories of high school. Like did you enjoy going to the basketball games or football games?
Jerry Priest 2:41: Yea I'd go to the basketball game and they would have dances there at the old gym there on Meigs Avenue. Back then there wasn't much to do.
Jen Weidner 2:59: Now did you leave campus to go to lunch?
Jerry Priest 3:03: Sometimes, we'd go down to the Orange Bar. Down there on, down there by Wall Street. Wall and Maple, Maple, and Wall. We'd always go down there and get a hamburger and french fries and a soft drink. But you only had a half an hour to eat. So a friend of ours had a car, we'd ride down there real fast.
Jen Weidner 3:29: You had to make it fast!
Jerry Priest 3:30: But a lot of times, we'd eat there at the school. Pretty much all I ever had there when I would eat the school [lunch] was chili and a hotdog.
Jen Weidner 3:40: Is there anything else you'd like to add or tell me about high school?
Jerry Priest 3:43: No, Like I said I graduated in [19]59. First, I went to Rose Hill School.
Jen Weidner 3:55: For elementary school?
Jerry Priest 3:57: I skipped the second part of first grade, second part, back then they had like college student out first semester, second semester. I skipped first, to the third second to second grade. That's [when] I caught up with my brother. And then we were pretty much together, you know, through high school. But back then you had walk along ways to get school. You know, we were living down, West Market [Street], 511. And we had to walk all the way up to where the [Clark County] Courthouse is now. That's where the old high school was across street. We walked to walk back.
Jen Weidner 4:43: So, you didn't have a car at that time?
Jerry Priest 4:46: No, I never had a car when I was in school.
Jen Weidner 4:49: And Jerry, what did you go on to do with your life after high school and I... You said you were in the military?
Jerry Priest 4:54: You know, I was 17, my parents signed for me to join the Marine Corps, and I served four years of Marine Corps. August of 1963, I got out of the Marine Corps. And I was working at Pillsbury. I got, I got a job at Pillsbury after I got out of Marine Corps. I remember where I was working on Crescent Roll line at Pillsbury when Kennedy was shot. And so, I know exactly where I was and. But I left there and got a job at Colgate. So, I left there and went to Colgate. I worked there about a year and a half then I went off to the Jeffersonville Police Department. Spent 23 years there and then left there and went to Probation and spent almost 23 years again there and then retired.
Jen Weidner 5:52 Was that Probation in Clark County?
Jerry Priest: Yes, and that's pretty much it. I'm retired now, about eight or nine years.
Jen Weidner: Well thank you for taking the time to let me interview you today.
Interview with Gerald Jerry Priest
Jen Weidner 0:02: This is Jen Weidner of the Jeffersonville Township Public Library I'm conducting interviews for Remember Those Days, Jeffersonville High School 1950 through 1970, an oral history project with a grant from the Indiana Genealogical Society. I'm here today with Gerald Jerry priest. Jerry Who were your parents.
Jerry Priest 0:21: Robert Darrell Priest and Ruth Priest
Jen Weidner 0:26: And where did you live while you were in high school.
Jerry Priest 0:30: Well, when I was a freshman, seventh, eighth grade and freshman my, [we] lived on Market Street, 515 W. Market Street
Jen Weidner 0:43: So that was in downtown Jeffersonville.
Jerry Priest 0:45: Correct. And then we moved to 1010 Pratt Street. And I was there like, maybe, 10, 11, 12th grade. Then I joined the Marine Corps.
Jen Weidner 0:56: Okay. Um, did you marry anyone that went to Jeff High?
Jerry Priest1:01: Linda Weidner.
Jen Weidner 1:03: Okay. She's my aunt, by the way. What years did you attend Jeff High?
Jerry Priest 1:09: I went there 1956 – 1959.
Jen Weidner 1:15: Okay. Were you in any sports or any clubs?
Jerry Priest 1:18: I was on the wrestling team, at that time, and uhh, that was it.
Jen Weidner 1:24: Any fond memories from the wrestling team?
Jerry Priest 1:26: (laughs) No.
Jen Weidner 1:29: Okay, do you remember about how many students were in your graduating class? You can estimate.
Jerry Priest 1:36: Probably less than 100 back then.
Jen Weidner 1:40: Oh, Wow! So yeah, because I think graduating there now is like 400, per class so yeah, big difference. Do you remember anything about the school classrooms teachers?
Jerry Priest 1:50: I don't remember anything important. We had the library and everything right there. The junior high and the high school were basically in the same building. Except one was at one end and one is in the other end of the building at Jeff High and it’s a regular classes. You know?
Jen Weidner 2:18: Did you have a favorite subject?
Jerry Priest 2:21: I think my favorite subject was math, and uh the rest of it was just whatever. I liked math.
Jen Weidner 2:34: What are some of your fondest memories of high school. Like did you enjoy going to the basketball games or football games?
Jerry Priest 2:41: Yea I'd go to the basketball game and they would have dances there at the old gym there on Meigs Avenue. Back then there wasn't much to do.
Jen Weidner 2:59: Now did you leave campus to go to lunch?
Jerry Priest 3:03: Sometimes, we'd go down to the Orange Bar. Down there on, down there by Wall Street. Wall and Maple, Maple, and Wall. We'd always go down there and get a hamburger and french fries and a soft drink. But you only had a half an hour to eat. So a friend of ours had a car, we'd ride down there real fast.
Jen Weidner 3:29: You had to make it fast!
Jerry Priest 3:30: But a lot of times, we'd eat there at the school. Pretty much all I ever had there when I would eat the school [lunch] was chili and a hotdog.
Jen Weidner 3:40: Is there anything else you'd like to add or tell me about high school?
Jerry Priest 3:43: No, Like I said I graduated in [19]59. First, I went to Rose Hill School.
Jen Weidner 3:55: For elementary school?
Jerry Priest 3:57: I skipped the second part of first grade, second part, back then they had like college student out first semester, second semester. I skipped first, to the third second to second grade. That's [when] I caught up with my brother. And then we were pretty much together, you know, through high school. But back then you had walk along ways to get school. You know, we were living down, West Market [Street], 511. And we had to walk all the way up to where the [Clark County] Courthouse is now. That's where the old high school was across street. We walked to walk back.
Jen Weidner 4:43: So, you didn't have a car at that time?
Jerry Priest 4:46: No, I never had a car when I was in school.
Jen Weidner 4:49: And Jerry, what did you go on to do with your life after high school and I... You said you were in the military?
Jerry Priest 4:54: You know, I was 17, my parents signed for me to join the Marine Corps, and I served four years of Marine Corps. August of 1963, I got out of the Marine Corps. And I was working at Pillsbury. I got, I got a job at Pillsbury after I got out of Marine Corps. I remember where I was working on Crescent Roll line at Pillsbury when Kennedy was shot. And so, I know exactly where I was and. But I left there and got a job at Colgate. So, I left there and went to Colgate. I worked there about a year and a half then I went off to the Jeffersonville Police Department. Spent 23 years there and then left there and went to Probation and spent almost 23 years again there and then retired.
Jen Weidner 5:52 Was that Probation in Clark County?
Jerry Priest: Yes, and that's pretty much it. I'm retired now, about eight or nine years.
Jen Weidner: Well thank you for taking the time to let me interview you today.