Charlie Anderson, Class of 1957

The Merits of Inspection

Boarding at San Antonio Academy in the mid 1950’s, Charlie Anderson (Class of 1957) couldn’t wait for the weekends. He bought his uniforms at Frank Bros. downtown by the Alamo, shopped at Woolworth’s and went to the Aztec to see “Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier.” That was fun, but dorm inspections came first on Saturdays. “Gunsmoke” blared on the radio while the boys prepared their rooms and polished floors with Old English until they shined like mirrors. His bed was made military style so you could bounce a quarter off the blanket. Rooms were inspected with white gloves, and the best room earned merits for its occupants. 

Charlie credits the discipline of those meticulous inspections and the reward of merits at SAA that benefitted him in the Marine Corps until 1964, during which he was awarded a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts for his service in the Vietnam War. Then he returned to Vernon, TX to help his father run their family ranch. He also helped build water systems in small villages in Mexico and Central America, where he narrowly escaped the bombing of a hotel in El Salvador. 

Today he cherishes those merits and his 60+ year friendship with boarder Mike O’Farrell ‘56.