Texarkana, Arkansas-- Freddie Ray Weathers and George Allen Anthony met in 1952 when they began first grade at Liberty (later Liberty-Eylau) Elementary on Buchanan Road and Liberty Lane.
Anthony remembers the moment quite clearly.
"There was a fire out in the area of the school. When we heard the fire truck siren come by, our home room teacher let us all go up to the window to peek out and see the fire truck when it passed," he recalled. "We got up, went to the window and sat back down. A half hour later we heard it again, and we all ran to the window again."
In those years, the classrooms had their own restrooms so the children would not have to leave the class. The next time the children heard the siren the teacher became suspicious and walked over to the restroom and opened the door.
"There was Freddie, sitting on the toilet making like a siren," Anthony said, recalling the moment with laughter. "That was the first time our home room teacher wielded a paddle on anybody in the class. I
