On May 1, 1972, I read an essay at the Crystal Room at Schuetzen Park, North Bergen, which I wrote for my English class taught by Mrs. Whitehouse at North Bergen High School. In fact, three of us read our essays that evening. We had swept the Soroptimist Club of North Hudson’s 1972 Law Day USA Law Day Essay Contest. I presented my first-place essay; then came two boys in my class: Phil Templeton’s essay was second, Donald Kienz came in third.
I have to be honest, Mrs. Whitehouse gave me an A- for my paper, while the boys each got an A, I believe. All I know is that after I won, I brought my paper back to Mrs. Whitehouse and she gave me an A+, which I believed was deserved.
The event itself was a big deal in our family! My mother took me to Corduroy Village to get a new dress. Usually my sister and I went to Little Marcy’s for our clothes. Corduroy Village was for only special occasions. My Mom and Mrs. Shore had me try on multiple dresses. We ended up with a light pink suit. My Mom loved pink and with my black hair, it looked good. But to be honest I hated the color pink. But I could not fight both Mom and Mrs. Shore. I wore the pink suit!
Although I could not stand up to the combined efforts of my Mom and Mrs. Shore, I did learn something important from that event. I learned to stick up for what I believe in and say what I mean.
What amazes me is that I feel the same way now about politics, as I felt then, when Richard Nixon was president. I also have to say I lived in North Bergen, New Jersey, and there was quite a bit of avarice and issues with local politicians. Hence my strong comments about stealing public money! I also have to say, that if my memory serves me right, my essay was extremely different than all the others. I was on a roll against bad government, while the other essays had more mellow topics. My parents were actually in fear for me to read this out loud. But it started me on my lifelong commitment to speaking out when I believe it is important.
Below I present a portion of my high school junior point of view which won the Soroptimist Club of North Hudson’s May 1, 1972, Law Day USA Essay Contest.
“In this age of discontent, pollution and governmental corruption, something must be done to recapture the American spirit. If it is not, soon our country will decay. Holders of public office should be screened before they are allowed even to be a candidate. Their background should be carefully checked… One who holds a responsible office should be well-educated, intelligent and of good character. Once elected, if a person begins to cheat the public during his term in office, he should be impeached immediately and be forbidden to run for office again. There is too much crime in government; too many office holders have been known to steal public funds. Too much of the funds intended for hospitals, old age homes, education and institutions for the mentally ill finds its way into the pockets of unscrupulous politicians.
In order that our government once again rise in the esteem of the population, a give-and-take relationship must be developed. Actually, a country that is well-run can be compared to a well-adjusted marriage, with the population and the government representing the partners. To maintain a lasting relationship, they must demand mutual respect and understanding that comes from an appreciation of the others’ principles and ideals.”
https://zicharonot.com/2014/01/19/my-days-in-the-english-department-office-at-nbhs/
https://zicharonot.com/2014/03/10/shopping-on-the-avenue-i-dont-mean-fifth-i-mean-bergenline/
zicharonot 
Congratulations!! Congratulations!! Awesome!!
Thank you.
Wow, that could have been written in 2019! We sure need all that now. Good for you! And a very belated mazel tov!
Thank you. I was amazed when I found it!