Worthington-West Franklin
High School

Worthington, PA

1933 - 1984

Worthington Memories

May 28, 2015

By

Cinda Peters Nudge

In 1962 at the end of eighth grade I moved to Indiana, PA from Worthington. Unfortunately, I don’t have any Worthington High School memories etched into my heart, and we all know that those are the greatest memories! 

However, I do have many Worthington family memories. I would like to share a few with you and I hope you will enjoy them. Summers in our home at the top of Cherry Street were carefree and the Peters’ children enjoyed being outside. I was probably around the age of four when we discovered camping. We didn’t have to drive forty miles to a campsite; we just walked out into our back yard. 

On this location we became skilled tent builders, using two blankets suspended over the clothesline wire, held with eight clothespins, and six large rocks secured the bottom edges. The ends of our tent were open and the summer breezes flowed through. 

I remember winking at Mother as we trailed our blankets and pillows through the house and out the back door into our tent. Our excitement and anticipation filled our hearts, as we knew nothing could be better than sleeping outside. 

The night skies were filled stars and lighting bugs that blinked on and off like vibrant neon sign staring out of old diner’s window. From the kitchen Fred Sr. and Naomi watched their creative little children trap and secure those bugs. 

Those lovable little children disembodied those fascinating bugs and transformed them into rings, using their inners as glue to hold them on their fingers. The enchantment of those rings transcended those bug-killing children into heirs of the Vanderbilt’s who would safely fall asleep in their tent, on a hot summer night.

Summer days were jam-packed with riding our ponies. My brother and I were too small to saddle them so we often rode bare back through the neighbors’ fields. There we would stop and share a lunch of peanut butter sandwiches. Freddy rode Joe and I rode Daisy. 

Some people said that Joe had a mulish streak, as he was difficult to ride. However, we knew that he was just old and he had a mind of his own and routinely, he did not follow Freddy’s commands. 

One of my sister’s friends drove past the two of us, and noticed that we were having pony problems. He said he would ride Joe home and Freddy, who was at the ripe old age of eight, could drive his car. At the time, Joe’s stubbornness made this sound like a good idea. Unfortunately, Freddy was so short that the car was reported as a runaway vehicle. Luckily, no one was injured and no one called the police. 

The highlight of summer was the Worthington carnival and fireman’s parade. The fire hall grounds were staged with amusement rides and food trailers whose delicious smells filled the air. It was a highly anticipated summer event and for weeks the Peters’ children had been on their best behavior. Mother had dusted off her old sewing machine and went to the attic where she found some old odds and ends of fabric. She designed and fashioned costumes for her children. Those prized outfits were finished just in time for those children to scurry down the hill and to join in the parade. Now remember back to the pony story and Joe who had a mind of his own. On this very important day, Joe managed to set himself free, along with all the other ponies, and he led them on an adventure. Much to the surprise of the Peters’ children the ponies joined them in the parade. The crowd of parade watchers suddenly turned into terrorized screaming spectators. Their screaming startled the ponies, which made them, run even faster causing more mayhem. At the time this situation was really embarrassing, but sixty years later as I type my memories, the vision of those ponies running through the Worthington Fireman’s Parade was genuinely hilarious!

I am so glad to have known so many wonderful Worthington people. I want to thank you for helping to shape me and give me the courage to be the person that I am today. 

I am the proud wife of Bill Nudge and we have been married for forty-nine years. I am the mother of four wonderful children who are all grown and they are independent adults that contribute to society. We have five grandchildren that we really enjoy. For most of my life my glass has been half full, and it is my pleasure to have lived in Worthington. 

I want to thank everyone who helped to strengthen my character. I want to share two quotes with you:

"Character develops itself in the stream of life." By Ralph Waldo Everson

For me "My character developed in a stream of life that started in Worthington." By Cinda

Now, I hope that you have enjoyed my memories as I have tucked them back in my heart where I will keep them forever!