Of course, they’re no longer children; these days, they’re in their 50s, but don’t tell that to Conrath.
“They’ll always be children in my eyes, they’ll always be my kids,” said Conrath, 74, who taught at Harbor View from 1964 to 1994. “I just hope I can remember them all. I’m going to have to study up on this one.”
To the students, Conrath, hands down, was the best teacher they’ve ever had, they said.
For many, her influence, kind personality and persistence to have the children question just about anything carried over into their adult lives.
They all have fond memories of Conrath.
And they have fond memories of Mr. Nebbish, the rubber doll that sat up on her desk and was always a part of her classroom since she started teaching in 1957 at the age of 22.
“I remember I found him inside a record store in Ohio, and I paid $2.50 for him,” Conrath said. “There was a set of four. I remember thinking how I couldn’t afford all of them.
“To this day, I still regret not buying all of them, but $2.50 back then was a lot of money.”
That indeed was a lot of money for Conrath, whose annual salary back then was $4,000.
“Good ol’ Mr. Nebbish. I remember how we’d get to hold him while we asked questions,” said Crone-Sevo, who lives in San Diego. “It was a different time back then.”
It certainly was.
It was a time when the girls wore bobby socks and dresses and the boys donned slacks and button-up shirts — Sunday’s finest, Monday through Friday. No purposely torn jeans, no midriff views.
It was a time when students were constantly involved in outdoor activities and the computer hadn’t yet emerged as an alternative for after-school companionship.
