I went to school with a (white) guy named Michael Jackson. He looked kind of like Fritz Coleman (L. A. TV weatherman) but with a crew cut. (This was 1966.)
Some of the middle names of the class (according to the 1967 graduation program; included some girls):
Odelsie
Schnurman
Malley
Hardevsnihji (OK, he was an exchange student from India)
Lowise
Nevlin
Sturgis
There was also a guy named Thurman (William) Eversole. by the time the program went to press, however, his last name had been changed–to Janikula.
I tok out some of my old class registers on reading this thread. When I taught at various elementary schools (over 8 years), my class list included:
the Horr children (the secretary said the principal would turn bright red reading that over the loudspeaker)
the 6 Derry children - Larry, Mary, the twins Terry and Jerry, Shari, and … Ricky
a student named Richard Width
one named Holly Noelle Winter
Sandy Beach (older brother in high school nicknamed Rocky)
in the same first grade classroom- a boy and a girl each named Harley
in one kindergarten class (20 children) - 6 Heathers (three of which had the same last initial), 3 Joshuas and 5 Jasons (really popular names in the 80s)
and outside the classroom -
a customer at my friend’s floral shop - Fanny Passafiume
Quoting Anna Russell from “The Anna Russell Album” - “I’m not making this up, you know!”
I know a Kelly Greene. Also a girl named
Kelly Kelly, whose mother is a Famous
Person.
My high school doctor and nurse (I am not making this up, I swear) were Dr. Hertz and Mrs. paine.
There’s a fellow in New York I want desperately to date, as his name is Fuk Yu. I wonder if he thinks he hears people calling him all the time on the street?
And (I checked this, out of boredom one day) there are two people currently living in Chicago named Sharon Tate and Charles Manson. I’d love to give a party and invite them just so I’d have the pleasure of introducing threm. Wouldn’t it be adorable if they fell in love?
I went to Jr. High School with a Derry Dalby.
I went to High School with a Belvin Spurgeon.
I went to college with a girl whose name was Allison Riddle, and whose middle name was Wonderland (Allison Wonderland, get it?)
Mamarasta had a client named Bich Ho.
A good friend of mine had a teacher named Mr. Hertz. Mr. Richard Hertz. You better believe the rest of the world called him Dick.
MR
I saw on a list of mailing labels for a project in the office one time a woman with a hyphenated surname:
Connie Phelen-Peters.
I assumed she pronounced it Fay-lin-Peters, since she wasn’t in the porn business, but it looked like Feelin’-Peters to me.
I worked one summer as a proofreader for a company that publishes alumni directories. I had to double check the forms that people sent back in with their names, addresses, occupations, etc. One cool thing was, we were doing Yale’s directory (this was in 1989), and I got to proof George Bush’s info. It was weird seeing the entry under occupation. It read “President of the United States,” of course, but you have to admit it was a unique entry.
On the weird name scale, I got a card from a woman whose first name was Mary and her middle name was Annette. Really.
On the home front, my mother’s name is Curtisteen. Honest. And my sister’s name is Barbara. Not so strange, but our last name is Walter. Well, she’s married now, so her name is Barbara Taylor. But then, I married a woman named Barbara…
Another weird juxtaposition is the fact that we named our son Hal. And my name is Dave. Hmmmm. Are you listening, Stanley Kubrick?
At my company there’s a Bill Gates… oh wait… nevermind…
My junior high school gym teacher:
Jack Daniels
hmmm… do I feel like Changing my name to please anyone on the spelling?
Like Hell 'cause it’s the right spelling, but anyhow, on with the Topic…
my neighbor’s name is… get this, Michael Hunt…
I still can’t bring myself to call him Mike…