One day during my senior year, first period, Mr. Schmidt said in class, “Genovese, are you going to college?”

“Yes,” I said.

Mr. Schmidt then said, “I bet you won’t make higher than an F in Freshman Algebra.”

Everybody laughed. Were you there when he said that to me? Did you laugh when Mr. Schmidt made a joke at my expense?

Then miraculously (I’ll tell you in a few minutes why it was miraculously), he said it again on a later day, “Genovese, are you going to college?”

“Yes,” I said.

He said, once again, exactly like he said it before, “I bet you won’t make higher than an F in Freshman Algebra.”

This time I was prepared for his answer and said, “Why do you say that, Prof?”

He said, “Because in first period Algebra II, you’re either spring festivaling, monumenting, or assemblying.

Well, I must confess, I did manage to get out of a lot of classes during first period because I was in the band and the band always went down to the auditorium when the principal called a student body assembly and the band had to play marches for the rest of you all to arrive and depart.

Also, the band always went to the McDonough Monument on McDonough Day and played for the other students from other schools who visited the monument in front of City Hall.

Also, the band played a big role in the Spring Festival and rehearsals were always in first period.

You were in the band too, Mary. Do you remember those things?

When I started LSUNO (now UNO, and no telling what next) in the spring of 1961, I did just like I did in high school: I never studied. At midterm I had all F’s except in English. I got a C. Those high school English teachers were really great, weren’t they? Freshman Algebra just happened to be one of my classes back then when I first started at LSUNO.

Those F’s didn’t scare me. Just like in High School, somehow I am going to pass even if I don’t study, I thought.

Well, just before final exams, I was watching TV when a little voice spoke to me from behind the sofa I was sitting on. That little voice said, “Genovese, are you going to college?” Pardon me while I stifle a little tear and a sniffle.

Okay, I’m composed now and can continue my story.

I got up from the sofa I was sitting in and grabbed my Algebra book and decided I would study as many chapters as I could between that night and the day after when my Algebra final exam had been scheduled. I actually did most of the book. It all seemed so easy. Mr. Schmidt’s helpful aids took me a long way. Remember his factoring problems, such as (2x + 3y)(3x – y) = 6x² + 7xy - 3y². He called those kinds of problems FOIL problems and that FOIL was an acronym for first, outer, inner, and last. I can still remember that today. Also, when you got your plusses and minuses mixed up, he’d say you have signitis. Remember that?

I was fortunate in that my final exam schedule allowed a day between each exam except History. I figured there was no way I could study one thousand pages of A Survey of European Civilization in one day, so I decided to take an F in that course but not the others.

Well, to make a long story short I managed to get all C’s except in History. I got an F.

My God, where would I be today if that little voice hadn’t spoken to me from behind the sofa? Excuse me while I stifle another little tear and a sniffle.

Okay, I’m composed now and will continue my story. When I passed the CPA exam and became the District Director of the Department of Revenue, it was always my intention to visit Mr. Schmidt at his house on Alvar Street just off St. Claude and let him know how he made my life for me, but I never did get around to it.

I always wondered if he knew what he was doing when he asked, “Genovese, are you going to college?” He didn’t ask me once, he asked me twice. And right there in front of many of you. We always knew Mr. Schmidt was smart in math but I never realized he was so smart in psychology too.

Mr. Schmidt made me what I am today and my only regret is that I never got to tell it to him. I’m sure he would have enjoyed hearing that.

Now, I don’t want to cut my mother short, bless her soul, but she also made me what I am today. In those days, mothers always guided us in the right direction. Remember those days? They were great.

Now, just one more thing: I always thought the producers of Happy Days molded Fonzie (The Fonz) after us 50’s and 60’s guys.

What do y’all think?