Edith Shain is considered as the nurse being kissed by a sailor in the iconic photo taken at Times Square on V-J Day (August 14, 1945). Sadly, she passed away recently at the age of 91, and will be missed by millions throughout the world. To most people, she will forever be remembered as the famous nurse in the historic image, for well she should. To me, she will also be remembered as the iconic nurse, but, more importantly, as my first grade teacher at Hancock Park Elementary School, in Los Angeles, back in 1955.
My First Grade teacher has let us out for summer vacation, but, unfortunately, for the last time. How ironic it is that we would say our final loving goodbyes to our dear Mrs. Edith Shain on a weekend that the school year typically comes to a close.
Mrs. Shain was my first teacher at Hancock Park Elementary School back in 1955, which was also my first experience attending a public school. My parents, both holocaust survivors, understandably had me attend a Jewish parochial school for nursery and kindergarten, given that they recently immigrated into the US and were concerned about how their first-born would fare in a heterogeneous environment. Their fears of the unknown were quickly laid to rest upon meeting Mrs. Shain. She was so loving, caring, warm, sweet and motherly to her students! And, to add frosting to the cake, the fact that their first names were the same (Edith), made my parents feel even more at ease. Looking back, it was so wonderful to have the most special teacher in the world as my first!
Mrs. Shain never forgot me. Throughout my youth, I would see her periodically when she organized birthday parties for her students at the old Kiddieland Amusement Park (aka Beverly Park), where the Beverly Center now stands. On many an occasion, she would greet me with a sweet hug. I felt so special, even back in the early 1960’s, to see her and to be greeted by her. As I matriculated on to Junior High, and ultimately, to Caltech where I earned a PhD in Applied Physics, we lost touch, as life took us into different directions.
Fast-forward 40+ years to the Google Generation. Through these marvels of technology and the ability to manipulate huge mountains of data beyond one’s comprehension, I began to reconnect with old classmates, childhood friends, former colleagues and, of course, my favorite teachers.
Mrs. Shain was a teacher that, for the life of me, I simply couldn’t locate. Four decades is a very long time. Perhaps, she became a minutiae of bits and bytes in the universe of search engines and reams of data, long since recycled. After all, she was a first-grade teacher from a small school, way back some 40 years ago. Is she still even with us on Planet Earth, G-d willing? To my dismay, and, as I expected, nothing came up. Mrs. Shain, apparently, did not reside in the catacombs of cyberspace.
Several years later, while sorting through various artifacts at home, I found an old dusty album that my late Mom had kept, consisting of childhood photos and old report cards. Luckily, one of the report cards I found was that of first-grade. I quickly turned it over and saw the signatures of both my Mom and Mrs. Shain. What a find! And, for the first time, I noticed that their first names were the same: Edith!! (as a kid, Edith Pepper was always “Mom,” and Edith Shain was always “Mrs. Shain”). So, I now learned that, indeed, they were: The two key Edith’s in my life.
But, alas! As I glanced at the signatures, I realized that during all my years of intense Internet searching, I did not spell Mrs. Shain’s name correctly. In my searches, I instinctively inputted S-H-A-N-E instead of S-H-A-I-N. After all, the word “shane” is Yiddish for beautiful, and, this descriptor fit the bill perfectly. Hence, it was no wonder that I couldn’t find her! (Months later, we would all get a chuckle about this story. Mrs. Shain would always remark, “No wonder I gave you a ‘B’ in spelling!”)
So, back to the computer I went, and, Goggled “Edith Shain” with alacrity. Lo and behold, myriad matches came up. Unexpectedly, they all were of the famous nurse, Edith Shain, who happened to be in the iconic “famous kiss” photo taken back on V-J Day in Times Square. “What a strange coincidence,” I thought. My teacher and this famous nurse both have the same name! To my apparent dismay, with all the 10,000s of hits to the nurse, my hopes dimmed. I concluded that there was no way I could locate my first-grade teacher in a cyberspace overflowing with countless matches to a nurse, albeit a famous nurse. Even if my teacher existed, the presence of the famous nurse would make the search that much more challenging!
Yet, I persevered. And, finally, I came across an obscure interview with a Mrs. Shain —- one who happened to be a teacher! In the interview, she was very outspoken how present-day teachers are so tightly constrained in terms of curricula and, furthermore, that they presently cannot display outward affection toward the kids, in fear of legalities.
Later in the interview, it was noted that this first-grade teacher was also the nurse from the famous photo. “What?!” I thought, “How could a nurse from New York, during the war years, somehow undergo a complete geographical and skill-set transformation into a first-grade teacher in LA, some 3,000 miles away, within just a few years?” Yet, as we all now know, this, indeed, turned out just to be the case! How impressive for a young woman back in the 1940’s to travel cross-country and to change career paths after the journey; truly a Renaissance woman.
Needless to say, I was so excited to locate the “real” Mrs. Shain, and, that she was still in our midst! The rest of the tale quickly fell into place. Denise and I rapidly established contact with this marvelous lady —- a woman brimming with spirit and spunk, with a great sense of humor, sharp as a tack, very outspoken in a very intelligent manner, fun to be with, and willing to try new things. And, as we quickly became aware, a woman who was very outspoken regarding educational issues —- as well as dedicated to establishing programs for youngsters to meet World War 2 veterans and to learn of their sacrifices to preserve liberty and justice for all.
Mrs. Shain turned out to be an even better (if that’s possible) teacher some 50 years after my initial class with her in 1955. Today’s lesson plans were much more profound. She influenced me to look at my life from a much more positive perspective, enjoy each and every day, become passionately involved in various causes, contribute to society, meet new people, have wonderful, memorable experiences and play to your heart’s content.
We are so very fortunate to have been in the presence of Mrs. Shain on many wonderful occasions over the years, including a birthday party for Denise, with our friends and doggies, including our three rescue dogs in attendance (Mrs. Shain adored doggies). We also took her to see and personally meet Jackie Mason, and the memories go on. And, it was our pleasure to attend a presentation and dedication ceremony, at her bequest, in San Diego, of a 25-foot high sculptured statue, depicting the famous kiss, with Mrs. Shain as the special guest of honor.
She had an insatiable sense of humor. One time, I told her how vividly I remember her reading to our class from the classic book “Dick and Jane.” Well, the next time we saw her, she gave us a Jewish version of the same book!! Another time, we told her that our physician demanded that we exercise more. So, without hesitation, our dear Mrs. Shain presented us with a pocket pedometer! The most enjoyment was Mrs. Shain being Mrs. Shain: she had a wonderful wit, a bright smile at all times, a charming disposition, and, more than willing to share her personal experiences during World War 2, affirming Elie Wiesel’s statement that “we never forget the past.”
Even though, sadly, our school years with her have come to an end, I could now see a spirited and sparkling Mrs. Shain, embrace me, wipe away my tears, comfort me and softly say, “Not to worry, David. Summer’s just around the corner. Have a great time, play to your heart’s content, enjoy life’s precious moments and experiences and cherish those you love. Capri Diem. And, we’ll all be back next school year.”
Most of the world will remember Mrs. Shain as a nurse. I will remember her as my loving public school teacher. I love you so very much, my dear Mrs. Edith Shain. Goodbye, may G-d be with you, and be well.
Love, David.
David M. Pepper is a Caltech-educated PhD laser physicist, and was a research scientist at HRL Laboratories in Malibu for 31 years. He has extensively published in archival scholarly journals, Scientific American and reference textbooks; and, has lectured internationally. He holds 63 issued US patents. He was also on the adjunct faculty at Pepperdine University, teaching calculus and probability & statistics to undergraduate business and economics majors. He is currently a technical consultant.
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