Truant Officers/Jalopy-Midget Racers

Rob Klein bi442 at lafn.org
Fri Feb 20 08:49:16 CET 2004


Hi Geir. Although Barks used his immagination a slight bit in depicting a mini-
scooter race in the Western US desert, people certainly took their motorcycles 
out to the deserts, and had races there, during the 1950s and 1960s. They also 
raced jalopies and "midget cars", as clubs, and even professional races at race 
tracks.  Jalopy races were also very, very popular. 
Yes, student truancy was a large problem, and city and countwide school 
districts did, indeed, have truant officers hunting down the offending 
students. Lots of "bad", "tough" boys did stay away from schools when they had 
the chance, and truant officers did hunt them down, and return them to 
schools.  These were mostly the "incorrigible" boys, many of whom later became 
crfirst sent to "reform schools" (schools for bad boys). Many of THEM later 
ended up commiting serious crimes, and staying in prisons.

If I remember correctly, we even had truant officers in Canada, when I was a 
youngster. Barks' depiction, is slightly romanticised, but reasonably accurate 
for the 1900-1950 period.  Of course, I and my friends didn't partake in such 
antisocial behavior, but I did know some miscreants who "ditched school" (were 
truant), and were caught by truant officers. Also I knew of others who were 
sent to reform school for gang activities and adult crimes (and it was said, 
even murder (although never proven)).

I'm sure that they didn't have a truant officer in Barks' rural valley when he 
attended his one-room schoolhouse with 8-10 students.  The County's police 
force would have performed that service.  But, I'm sure when kids in Barks 
school missed a day, and their parents were contacted (and it was learned that 
the student had not been ill, his father would have paddled the young man's 
hind end, hard with his hand, or beat him with a switch.  However, when his 
family moved to Santa Clara, California when he was a teenager, he probably 
would have learned what a truant officer was.

Rob Klein


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