Page 22 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2017- Online Magazine

HONORING SENIORS

Jane Kuykendall

Forever Young

by Jane Bromley

he Lubbock area is full of and then Lubbock High School, stadium had only one stand on the
amazing people, many of where she became the first female east side. The enrollment was still
Tthem residing in retirement president of the student body. “I small enough that “everybody knew
facilities. The Greatest Generation loved everything about school!” everybody.” But then Pearl Harbor
has earned that name for a reason, she exclaimed. She graduated in happened, and life began to get
and we would be wise to spend one- 1938 and went straight to Texas more serious.
on-one time discovering why. Technological College. So did her
LHS classmate Roger Kuykendall. Roger volunteered on Valentine’s
Over at Carillon, you might be lucky He was elected president of the Day, 1942. Jane recalls how patriotic
enough to meet a remarkably young freshman class, and she was and unified our nation was. The
woman named Jane Kuykendall. the secretary. There isn’t room Great Depression had already
Her birth certificate states 1921, but here, but maybe you can ask her brought people together. “Everyone
the musical laughter and sparkling sometime about “the silver dollar helped everyone else.” Then World
eyes in this energetic lady suggest story.” She describes those years War II solidified our national
her inner age is closer to 25. as “Wonderful!” Dances and plays identity even more. In May 1942,
and friends and fun filled the time Jane graduated from Texas Tech, and
It’s a pleasure to listen to her between her classes. In fact, none of she and Roger married in September
describe her full life, but fitting even her friends ever took a 10 a.m. class, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in
the highlights into an article this size so they could meet for ice cream at Lubbock. The young couple moved
will be impossible. Hopefully, some the drugstore on College Avenue
of her exuberant enthusiasm will be and dance to the popular music on
evident on these printed pages.
the jukebox.
Jane Prickett was born in Pecos, She was a Texas Tech “yell leader”
Texas, the only child of Herbert and her sophomore year, and remembers
Nell Prickett. Her father worked how great it was to lead the team,
for the USDA in the Bureau of the band, and the crowd of fans
Entomology. As the only grandchild, on a victory march down College
Jane grew up feeling secure and (now University Avenue) after a
loved - “never afraid.” Her father’s win. Things were so much simpler
job brought the family to Lubbock then. The cheerleaders wore long-
when Jane was 12. She attended sleeve, knee-length dresses. The
Carroll Thompson Junior High
campus was mostly dirt, and the

22 Lubbock Senior Link