School Bells Ring

The photo Jacquie posted yesterday from The Best Photo Shoot Ever, to celebrate our dear departed pooch Yobo's birthday, got a lot of love from various and sundry Blasts From The Collective Corey Past . . .

. . . this photo, from the Best Photo Shoot Ever . . .

And it got me thinking about those years in our young six-sistered lives, which made me remember we weren't the only ones who thought our six-sistered club was unique and remarkable and really quite cool.

The local paper did too.

That's right, friends. The Corey Girls were the stars of a Back-To-School feature in The Norwalk Hour on September 6, 1972:

I know, awesome, right? We were superstars.

Let's read the captions, shall we?

Back To School Time -- The six daughters of Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Corey of 26 Bettswood Road team up to get ready for the first day of school today. From left:

Mrs. Corey ties a bow for Jacqueline, 3½, nursery school-bound;

Ellen, nine*, gives her hair a last minute brush;*

*I turned nine the day before the first day of school, but was still eight when this photo was taken. In the interest of full disclosure.

Mary Beth, 12, gives Julie, six, a hand with a zipper;

Ann, 11, takes care of the lunch detail;

Jane, five, a kindergartener [sic], struggles with her shoes.

Then it's off to school, the summer vacation just a memory.

School Bells Ring Today -- Drive Carefully

Today's the day that old school bell rang, calling Norwalk youngsters back to the classroom.  Here Mrs. Joseph Corey of 26 Bettswood Road, Norwalk, gives Jacqueline a kiss, as her sisters get ready to head to school.  From left, are, 

Julie, Ann, Ellen, Jane and Mary Beth.

Jane sneaks a rather wistful look back at the family pooch who's not enrolled for classes this year.

Oh, the thoughts and feelings.

No one in my family ever called me Ellen in my life -- I was Ellie from the day I was born. Except, apparently, in the newspaper.

The outfits are brilliant, especially Mom's.

In the second-to-last photo, Jacquie is giving the camera her daughter's look.

Julie's dress slays me.

Jane was very very short.

MB's dress was also very very short.

I'm pretty sure Ann never made lunches for the whole family.

I'm pretty sure if any one of us was expected to make lunch for the whole family, there would have been a coup.

And finally, and most importantly of all, I remember we were all chagrined that our beloved family pooch was not named by name. In fact, I'm still peeved.

Good ol' Yobo. Just look at her, yawning in the last photo. Unfazed by school bells ringing, or by superstardom.