DIANE MAKAR MURPHY My act of feminism would have made Sadie Hawkins proud

Boardman High's Sadie Hawkins Dance was held recently. My daughter went stag, which I thought was terrible.
"Hannie, you're supposed to ask a guy to that!"
"No, I'm not."
"Sure you are; it's Sadie Hawkins!"
She stared at me blankly.
Obviously, she had no idea what the point of a Sadie Hawkins anything was. I'm not ancient, but I remember the Lil' Abner cartoon. Sadie was so ugly her father, the mayor of Dogpatch, created a Sadie Hawkins Day to increase his daughter's chances of marrying. Once a year, a race was held, during which each unmarried woman in town got to chase down a bachelor.
What feminism! A woman could grab a fellow by the overalls, throw him to the ground and marry him.
Not that I'm advocating that for Hannah.
Date Night
Back when I was a teenager at Garfield Heights High School, in a suburb of Cleveland, we had our own version of Sadie Hawkins Day. It was sponsored by the GAA -- Girls Athletic Association.
In my senior year, I was GAA president. (The year after I graduated, it became the Garfield Athletic Association and allowed boys to join. Feminism gone amok, in my opinion...)
But, I digress. The GAA had a Date Night. It was held at the high school and consisted of couples playing volleyball and basketball, using gymnastic mats, hanging out and eating. What made it special was that girls asked guys to it, not the other way around. What an eye opener that was, particularly for a teen in the early '70s.
The object of my amore for Date Night was to be Fred. Fred, what a beautiful, beautiful name ... Anyway, Fred was a terrifically shy guy, and the chances of him ever asking ME out were pretty slim. As I recall, Fred was barely taller than I, had sandy brown hair, was a bit thick but not fat, and had adorable cheeks and a nice smile. What more did I need?
Just guts.
Gaining courage
I must have put off asking Fred a dozen times. I was finally privy to what the male went through his entire dating life. What if he said no? What if he laughed at me? What if he stared me right in the eye, and said, "I'd rather eat a dead squirrel than go to Date Night with you"?
In the meantime, all my female contemporaries (GAA had a whopping 250-plus members!) were getting hooked up. Some of them had steady boyfriends, so their arrangements were a walk in the park. Others had actually mustered up the courage to ask a new crush.
The plans were beginning to roll. All the couples in our "gang" were going to meet at Sally Tezzie's house, and the girls were going to make macaroni and cheese. From there, we would walk to the high school.
The day was drawing close, and I still had not asked Fred. I had no classes with him, but I passed him at my locker once a day. About a week before the event, I saw Fred digging in his locker for a book. I walked up behind him. I don't remember the words that came from my mouth, but I remember him smiling.
"Sure."
Sure. Wow. I actually think that was the one and only time I ever asked a guy I wasn't already seeing out on a date.
Memorable night
When Date Night came, Fred picked me up at my house. He had a box of candy; he was the only boy that night who brought a gift for his date. We drove to Tezzie's and ate our Kraft feast, then spent the next three hours at the high school gymnasium.
No, Fred and I didn't end up marrying and living happily ever after. We never went out again. Nonetheless, I'd like to think Sadie Hawkins would have been proud of me.
Post note: After we graduated, Fred asked out my best friend. She ended up slapping him for his fast-moving hands. The only fast-moving hands I saw at Date Night were on the basketball court.
murphy@vindy.com