A messenger from the Principal’s office found me during a class at Andrew Jackson High School in October 1955. After a whispered conversation with the teacher, he handed her an envelope.
After looking at it, her eyes then roved around the room until, to my surprise, they locked on mine. Clearly, something in the envelope concerned me. I searched her look to determine whatever I could about the contents.
None of us in the class had ever gotten a personal letter delivered to the addressee at the school–while we were in class.
I had not the slightest idea who might have written that letter or what might be inside. Frankly, my knees were a little less sure of themselves than usual as I headed up the row of desks to retrieve the letter—“my” letter.
All eyes in the class followed me up the aisle, most of them with some initial sympathy, since how could such a development bring good news.
Arriving at her desk several days later…it seemed…I reached for the envelope, even as I looked to her face for clues.
As she handed me the crisp, white No. 10 business envelope with the glassine insert that allowed the addressee’s name to be seen by the post office, she nodded her head as if she were saying “Huh,” with a positive sound in her throat, then out loud she said, softly, “Congressman Bennett…for you.”
I was fifteen years old at the time, a good student and all that, very active in school organizations and events. But in the seconds it took for me to return to my seat with the mysterious envelope in my sweaty hand—trying not to trip over some errant foot since all eyes were still riveted on me—I could not think of a single reason why our Congressman, “Charlie” Bennett, already in office since 1949, would be writing me.
I carefully opened the envelope, trying not to do more damage than was necessary to the very handsome official stationery of the Congress of These United States.
The contents included a brief note on the Federal eagle letterhead that started out, “Dear Tracy, Congratulations from one Eagle Scout to another,” and went on to say some very thoughtful things about achieving the highest rank in the Scouting program.
It was the first of many letters and communications from Charlie Bennett that I was to receive. However, I had no idea that many years later that he would ask me to serve as his Administrative Assistant, or Chief of Staff.
© Copyright 2015 Tracy D. Connors