The Essay Project
(By Tom Melvin, Age 17)
Student Years in Boston School System and Other Experiences (1940 – 1956)
St. Peter’s Parochial School (1940 - 1948)
Commerce High School (1948 – 1953)
U.S. Army Paratrooper (1953 – 1956)
By Thomas Melvin
22 Barry Street
Dorchester, MA
St. Peter’s Parochial School (1940 - 1948)
Commerce High School (1948 – 1953)
U.S. Army Paratrooper (1953 – 1956)
By Thomas Melvin
22 Barry Street
Dorchester, MA
Objective of the Essay Project
Mr. Conroy, my English teacher at Commerce High, has suggested that I write an Essay of my personal experiences in Dorchester’s St. Peter’s Parish and neighborhood. Under the auspices of Mr. Conroy’s and Mr. Flynn, a teacher at Wentworth Institute, I plan to use this essay in the future when I apply for College Admission. This essay will serve as an example of my writing style and maturity. The plan is that the following stories will demonstrate my ability to pursue a research project, as I describe the neighborhood of my childhood and youth.
U.S. PARATROOPERS
Enlisted, July 6, 1953
Why did you join, you ask? Because, maybe, it was preordained that I make this decision. Attached is a photo of me taken in the 2nd or 3rd grade. Please focus on my necktie – a paratrooper floating down to earth with his parachute.
Transition
As a measure of how serious this decision – my exit from kid-hood to manhood was illuminated by my father’s parting words, spoken with tears in his eyes, “Tommy, if you get a dishonorable discharge, you can’t come home again.”
My first ride in a airplane was after I joined the paratroopers. This action was a direct violation of the important proverb, “Look before you leap” – no pun intended. The flight was from Boston to Fort Campbell, KY on an airplane which had many rattles and vibrations.
My first meal at Fort Campbell was lima beans and liver – God this is going to be a long ordeal!
Mr. Conroy, my English teacher at Commerce High, has suggested that I write an Essay of my personal experiences in Dorchester’s St. Peter’s Parish and neighborhood. Under the auspices of Mr. Conroy’s and Mr. Flynn, a teacher at Wentworth Institute, I plan to use this essay in the future when I apply for College Admission. This essay will serve as an example of my writing style and maturity. The plan is that the following stories will demonstrate my ability to pursue a research project, as I describe the neighborhood of my childhood and youth.
U.S. PARATROOPERS
Enlisted, July 6, 1953
Why did you join, you ask? Because, maybe, it was preordained that I make this decision. Attached is a photo of me taken in the 2nd or 3rd grade. Please focus on my necktie – a paratrooper floating down to earth with his parachute.
Transition
As a measure of how serious this decision – my exit from kid-hood to manhood was illuminated by my father’s parting words, spoken with tears in his eyes, “Tommy, if you get a dishonorable discharge, you can’t come home again.”
My first ride in a airplane was after I joined the paratroopers. This action was a direct violation of the important proverb, “Look before you leap” – no pun intended. The flight was from Boston to Fort Campbell, KY on an airplane which had many rattles and vibrations.
My first meal at Fort Campbell was lima beans and liver – God this is going to be a long ordeal!