What about Mary?

I feel like I’ve made a new friend this week: I “met” Mary Harlow Oleary again for the first time!

We all remember the Mary Harlow of our high school years: studious, serious and focused, right? Well, maybe in 1975, but nowadays Mary Harlow Oleary is witty, funny and even downright giddy at times!

Mary and I talked by phone for a good while the other night, catching up and reminiscing about the old days in Rison. But, the funny thing is this: I learned so much about Mary that I never knew. For instance, I had no idea that Mary didn’t drive when we were in high school. In fact, Mary tells me that she didn’t own a driver’s license until she was well into her freshman year at UAM. Mary laughed about the fact that her Mom “drove her to college” until Christmas break of her first year, at which point Mom made an executive decision that Mary was going to learn to drive – or else hitch a ride the rest of her college career! It must’ve been the right amount of motivation – Mary got her license and started driving (even though, as she’ll tell you, she still doesn’t enjoy it very much!)

I learned that Mary and her husband, Kleeman, have been married for 29 years! I’m always fascinated by folks with successful marriages, so I asked Mary if she felt that she and Kleeman really knew each other. She replied, “Oh yes! He even knows what I’m talking about when I’m not exactly sure!” Now, although Mary referred to him jokingly as “Old Grumpy,” I got the distinct feeling that she and her husband are very close. In fact, as Mary would say, “I guess that's because it's been just the two of us all these years.” To that end, Mary admitted that she almost “missed out” on her husband because she was a little, shall we say, “non-committal” at first. (I interpreted that confession to mean that Mary was too busy “dating around” during her last semester at UAM and didn’t recognize a “good thing,” if you get my drift!) Mary feared that Kleeman had given up on her, but luckily for her (and him), he didn’t.

Mary and Kleeman made their home in McGehee, AR around 27 years ago; McGehee is a close commute to Dumas, where Mary teaches 4th graders. (Husband Kleeman jokes that they can “see the city limit sign,” but that after 25 years Mary finally made it back to living on a gravel road). Mary, as everyone recalls, was very “bright” in school, (that means “dang smart”) I seem to recall that Mary was especially gifted in math, so it’s no surprise that she’s in charge of the science lab at her school, even if she still has a penchant for math. I asked Mary if she’d ever taught any other grade levels and her answer came as a polite “no, not really.” She really favors the 4th grade age range. Her teaching goals shouldn’t come as a surprise either: Mary determined early in life that she wanted a career as a teacher. (How is it that some kids are so mature? I could barely dress myself when I graduated!)

Being a “science aficionado,” Mary can’t imagine working in her field without the aid of computer technology. In fact, her classroom is outfitted with the latest gee-whiz stuff, including a “smart board,” whatever the heck that is! However, as we contrasted today’s latest technology with what was available when she began teaching, Mary began to chuckle. The first time the school (Dermott I think, where she taught for a few years) presented Mary with a “portable computer on wheels” Mary demanded that they “get that thing outta here!” I guess she overcame her distaste for high-tech.

Mary recalled many fond memories while at Rison High. I asked who she “buddied” with in high school and she quickly remembered Debbie Cox, Susan Cash, Kathy Smoot, Elizabeth Leopard and Gwen Roberts. “I guess there was such a small number of us girls that we were all pretty close,” Mary commented. But then Mary reminded me that she didn’t have the luxury of doing a lot of “running around” anyway, because she lived 17 miles away from Rison (in a suburb named “Herbine”).

Some of you may remember the other members of the Harlow clan: There’s Steve, who still lives in Rison, James (now deceased), Barry (who lives in Louisiana) and Rebecca that lives in the old family home in Herbine and teaches at Rison.

But, mostly we ‘75ers remember Mary; I’m grateful that I had the chance to “remember her again” in such a fun way!

Cheers!

Ken