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| Fred Legg and Marianne Legg, his wife of 39 years. |
Fred
Legg retired in 2015 after 35 years as a Certified Occupational Therapist
Assistant (COTA). He became a COTA in 1976 after a career in the Navy
where he served about the USS Kittiwake ASR for four years. He lived in the
Plainfield area for a number of years before moving to Florida, where he
presently lives in Indian Harbour Beach.
What
was your sense of community in your class/in the school at NPHS?
We
all had our groups of friends and activities. I was on the JV basketball
team and swimming team. When you’re good at sports you’re accepted
by many. I worked since I was 15 years old at a movie theatre, so I did
not go out for varsity teams.
What
experiences in high school, positive or negative, helped to shape you as a
person?
Each
teacher affected me positively. I was quiet and a solid "C"
student – even though I could and should have done better. I enjoyed
classes and learned a lot. I loved Miss O'Brien's English class where she
had us study music and cultures from around the world We were also
encouraged to read newsmagazines to expand our minds and learn new words.
Sports played an important part of my high school years. I also loved
shop.
Do
you have any regrets about your experiences during your high school
years?
Not
applying myself in high school. After the Navy, I used the GI Bill to go
to college and I graduated with a 3.8 GPA. I wish I could have juggled
work and sports but my family needed the money so work won out. I wish I
had been more respectful to the teachers; they have a tough job educating and
molding young minds.
Now,
50 years later, has your perspective on your high school years changed at
all? If so, how?
Of
course, I would have been a lot more involved with learning and growing as a
person. Because the Viet Nam war was peaking when I was graduating there
were three options for the immediate future: college, service (the mandatory
draft), or Canada. I did not have the grades so I enlisted in the Navy
for four years. I see now the importance of education and the
opportunities it creates.
What
is your fondest memory of your years at NPHS?
Participating
in all sports, especially with Mr. Porter and Mr. Rowe in basketball, I
loved every sport. I also loved hanging out with my friends during and
after school and evenings.
What
was the craziest or stupidest thing you did in high school?
I
was not a crazy for a stupid kid. I was just there. Sounds dull but
it wasn't.
What
was your proudest accomplishment in high school?
Graduating.
Receiving my diploma. And, of course, getting that edge level on a piece
of wood in Mr. Wienen's shop class, after a trillion tries.
Who
was your favorite teacher?
Mr.
William Van Wienen (Shop), Miss O'Brien (English), and Mr. Porter (Gym).
What
was your worst class?
History
What
is your most powerful or haunting memory during your years at NPHS?
Realizing
that many of our graduates were going to be drafted and fight in the jungles of
Viet Nam. Many served (including me). Many wouldn't return. To this
day, tears come in my eyes when I see their names carved in The Wall at
Washington, DC, and the way we who wore the uniforms were treated by the media.
How
did growing up at a child of the 60s – and all the social baggage and impact
that it may have entailed – impact you at the time and in your young adult
years?
Wow
- that is a great question. Assassination of JFK…The Beatles…the British
invasion… music…drugs…Woodstock… sexual revolution…racial strife…space
race…entertainment… money…friends. In 1968 I went in the Navy as a child
and came out a man and little wiser. I went back to college, became a
therapist, married (40 years in April), have two great kids, grandfather of
five, and teach art classes. I loved the 60s. We were not staring a
iPhone. We were living everyday and learning so, so, so, much.
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| Gunners Mate 3rd Class, Fred Legg |
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| College graduation picture |
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