10/14/00
"Some thoughts on Friday night at Union Station"
Members of the committee started arriving around 4PM
to set up. Most of us having worked together for months
knew each other but we kept looking for classmates we
didn't know. A woman, I did not reconize said,"I hadn't
changed at all". My response was,"except for the forty
pounds I had added and the gray hair I had subtracted, I
was the same". This woman, who I did not know with her
long blond hair,turned out to be DeDee Dutcher. The next
classmate I spotted anyone would have known. He hasn't
grown and he looks like he did in school,his name is
Dave Housh. Just then a woman came flying by me from
behind walking away from me and,"I yelled out, Ellie
Dyke"! The night was on. About 6:30,Patty Watt,our
chairwoman,walked by my wife,Toni and I and said,"Well
it's out of our hands now". Toni and I just laughed but
within minutes we were being swamped by classmates and
shortly there was so much commotion from conversations
to screams when a classmate would see an old friend,
that when people came to the table and gave us their
name, we could not hear them. Within a few short
minutes, the forty years had disappeared, and everyone
was bringing up memories as if it were yesterday.
So who haven't changed? Anita Adams,Rob Ash,Steve
Ashe,Sharon Bennett,Steve Binder,Pete Black,Deanna
Boyd,Dave Bueker,Jan Bush,Bob Cathy,Cynthia Childers,Pam
Crebbs,Jim Crummett,Doug Davey,Ellie Dyke,Bill
Frick,Bill Getz,Sue Golder,Alan Hendricks,Dave
Housh,Steve Jacobus,Max Jordan,Phyllis LaFollette,Ed
Lobdell,John Magill,Jeanne Maxwell,Dick Myers,Linda
Pigg,Charles Plumb,Lois Rhodus,Tom Sawyer and Bob
White. My choice: Pete Black and Pam Crebbs (but there
would be a lot of close seconds and probably no one else
would agree with my list).
The food was catered by "Masterpiece BBQ". It was
good, well served and there was lots left over.
The classmates from out of town could not believe how
great Union Station looks. We heard comments all night
on what a great place to have the get together.
I hope we will do this again in five years, we
definitely can't wait fifteen years as we have before. I
also hope that we can get together with East next time
as there are so many friendships that cross the school
lines.
Lots of people have helped with putting this together
and if I started naming names, I would leave someone
out. We had classmates put money on the line so we
could operate until funds started coming in;classmates
who made the arrangements for the places, the food, the
decorations and the music. We had classmates calling and
e-mailing to help contact other classmates;we had
classmates help fund the web site, classmates set it up,
and classmates find pictures and other items from our
school days. The original committee started in Feburary
and others came and went but three women held this
together for the last nine or ten months. They are:
Patty Watt Bays, Linda Sell McConwell and Bev Warren
Goble.
More tomorrow after the Saturday function.
Don
K-StateDon@att.net
10/15/00
The Day After.
Saturday was a very dreary day. Not only was it very
dark and rainy but K-State lost.
As we entered Lake Quivira Country Club, we were met
with red and black balloons and pennants of the four
Junior Highs. As we came to the top of the stairs, we
could see the dance floor and the band area set-up for
"Fabulous Freddy and the Doo-Wops". The tables were
decorated with white (I think--remember I'm a guy--
maybe they were red or maybe black--oh well) and black
cloth napkins (I'm sure about the napkins because I had
navy blue slacks on, and with the light, I had trouble
knowing when the napkin was in my lap or on the floor).
The tables had beautiful flower arrangements in the
center sitting on mirrors with four small candles around
them. Nancy Crocker Davis and Marty Johnson headed up
the decorating committee and did an out-standing job.
The left end of the hall had a table with memorabilia
all over it and on the walls also. Programs from games
and plays, pictures from grade schools and junior highs,
pep club jackets, a pink "Poodle" skirt, the dreaded
petticoat and much more.
To the left of the door, was Ellie Dyke Mowery, who
did such a good job with our name tags. She copied our
high school pictures out of the year book, and then had
them printed on our name tags, with SM North 40th
Reunion 1960-2000 printed across the top and then our
names. (Friday night as people came in and saw their
pictures, you heard a lot of screaming and oh-no's.) We
were told to be sure and hold on to our name tags and
bring them back Saturday (saving Ellie from making two
sets).Then, all Ellie would do Saturday is hand out
about 15 packets to people that hadn't come Friday. When
Ellie saw me walk in, she said, "guess what I'm doing?
I'm making new tags for the dummies who didn't remember
theirs". Fortunately, she had brought extra tags,
pictures, marking pens and glue just in case.
Before dinner Doug Davey, Connie McFadden Wesley and
Maren Bender Anderson told my wife, Toni, and I some of
the cute little pranks they use to play (what a bunch of
delinquents). No wonder Bill Schmidt'59, Carolyn
Richmond's husband turned out the way he did!
Sam Bruner, our perpetual class president, had some
opening remarks: "Welcome to Lake Quivira Country Club.
Do you remember being 16,17,18 in June of 1960? Starting
high school with 3000 classmates with three sharing
lockers and split days to accommodate all of us? "Hank
Bauer's", 127th and Nall,"Ruthie's","Sammy's", the
"Fairway" and "Dickinson" theaters? When Overland Park
was not incorporated as a city? Each of us have
individual memories of that three year period in our
lives. What a great start SMN presented to us 40 years
ago.
Our journey over the last 40 years, has provided joy
and tragedy; hope and despair; love and loss of love;
success and failure; it is an axiom of life that we have
all experienced some good and some bad--Why do we have
reunions??? It is not because it is expected of each
class, it is a revival of friendships and memories that
again will assist in where we may venture tomorrow.
When we graduated, we dreamed of making $1,000. per
month, owning a car worth $4,000., and a house worth
$25,000. This year's graduates, will dream of making
$12,000. per month, owning a car worth $50,000. and a
house worth $300,000. and having a condo in Cabo San
Lucas. Have times changed or what????
I had a joke, or two, to insert at this point but on
reflection, none were even remotely "politically
correct" and since I need my job for at least a little
longer, I dropped them."
Wayne Zirzow, then, gave a beautiful invocation which I
will pass on to you as soon as he sends it to me.
Following his prayer, Linda Sell McConwell led us in a
"rip-roaring rendition" of our school song. (You know to
the tune of KU's song--a little brain-washing by KU
there.)
It was now dinner time. A salad with lettuce,red
pepper and fresh mushroom, followed by a "fillet"
steak,baked (I think) new potatoes,fresh green beans and
dinner rolls. It was a delicious meal served sit-down
style. During the dinner, we were entertained by "The
SMN Strolling Strings". They were quite good and we were
told that besides traveling in the US and abroad, many
of them are active in sports and are on the honor roll.
They made a fine impression and got the evening off on a
high note. Linda engaged the entertainment and the menu,
both were fantastic!
After dinner, Sam Bruner introduced the reunion
committee led by Patty Watt Bays-Chairwoman, Linda Sell
McConwell-arranger, prodder and Patty's right hand, and
Bev Warren Goble, our treasurer, cheer-leader and jackie-
of-all-trades. She ran the budget as if an auditor was
looking over her shoulder and knew exactly where we
stood at all times. (Hey guys--don't wait till the last
minute next time. Bev was developing ulcers by the time
the reservations started coming in good numbers.) These
three women are responsible for the reunion happening at
all. When I came on board in April, I saw a list of 10
or 12 committee members, but these ladies were the only
ones I saw at the meetings. Jim Royer, Sam Bruner and
Doug McDonald did everything asked of them. Jim made
sure our labels were ready for mailings and set up our
original spread-sheet of names and addresses; Sam and
Doug along with Judy Gunn Axelson, Kathy Anderson, Dave
Bueker,Bob Hinton, Jo Lynne Talbot Jones, Dick Myers,
Diana Gray Ormsby, Carolyn Richmond Schmidt, Carolyn
Goldman Wright put in "seed money" so we could operate.
(If I left anyone out, I apologize.) Patty, Linda and
Bev tied up credit cards.
Sharon Hand Ward came on board and engaged the band
for the evening, ran our class e-mail and persisted on
the idea of a web site until it finally came to be. We
would also like to thank: Ted Anderson, Steve
Argubright, Margot Bair Biery, Peggy Bush Waugh, Lanny
Ellis, Bob Hinton, Sam & Suanne Keeley, Mary Bradbury
Maloney, Marilyn Nichols Mooney, Pam Crebbs Morton,
Roylene Bolen Phillips, Wayne Zirzow and those who
contributed during the weekend for providing the funds
to make the web site a reality. (Again, if I left anyone
out I'm sorry.) Larry Wellington also talked Max Jordan
into biding on some ski's,that Larry had won as a prize
earlier, and then donated that money to the web site.
Barbara Dickeson Leabo came on board and put our slide
presentation together even though she would be on a
three week vacation in England. We will remember her as
the "beep" lady. Virginia Whalen Liveley contacted
teachers, mailed invitations to them, designed the cover
for the "memory book" and engaged Gardner High School to
put the book together for us. Pat Righter Trump printed
our book for us and provided many of our pictures from
the past. Lydia Paul Hooberry (if I got that name right,
it will be the first time) worked on our decorations.
Last but not least, Larry Newlon took over the
management of our web site, doing an A-one job and
making my job much easier. I only wish we had known
about his interest and talent several months earlier. It
would have given me more time to find names.
Doug McDonald then came up to give some of his
samples as prizes. Kay Moore got a pair of ski's for
driving from Vail Colorado to Overland Park with a
broken right arm that had not been set because she had
broken it falling as she was packing to come--how's that
for determination. Doug also gave Thad Bounds two
dollars he owed him for some beer forty-three years ago.
It was now time for the class picture, the band &
dancing (believe me, I thought Mary Bradbury and a few
others were going to have a heart attack on the dance
floor the way they were moving around), and the cake
with the "Indian" on top. (I know--not PC)
It was time to start saying our good-byes to friends
we hadn't seen for 15-30 or 40 years. Classmates would
be returning to California, Oregon,Massachusetts,
Florida and many points in-between.
WE CAME,WE TALKED, WE LAUGHED, WE HAD A GREAT TIME AND
WE WANT TO INVITE EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU TO OUR 45TH
REUNION IN 2005!!!!!!
Be sure and watch our web site for news--be sure and
let us know if you move, change e-mail address, change
names, have grandchildren or any other news that we need
to keep our information up-to-date. Right now we know
where 403 of you are and we will continue to find the
others--we need you to let us know if you find a
classmate we don't know about. We will continue to
update the information on the web site and make any
corrections. Pam, I understand I deleted you--I will
correct that--my two fingers don't always work.
SAY GOOD NIGHT GRACIE!!!!!!
STAY IN TOUCH AND WE'LL SEE YOU IN FIVE YEARS!!!
Don Davis
K-StateDon@att.net
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