WELCOME OLD FRIENDS! And I use that term endearingly, referring to the kinds of relationships that are rich and deep, longlasting, and ones that have a ring of authenticity. Certainly no reference to our age!
And welcome to a walk down memory lane. Though it has been eons since most of us have connected, this simple process of running down the list of names and checking out the pictures has been exciting and intriguing to hear where everybody has been and what we have done. We were never a dull bunch, nor were we a docile group, creating great opportunities for faculty challenges.
Lou Wilson and I enjoyed a whack from Mr. John Prom’s paddle Senior year, and Mrs. Coxwell of History often stood in a trash can and chicken squawked to get our undivided attention.
I saw Mr. Bobby Sanderson a few years ago, who came, as he said, just to see with his own unbelieving eyes if I had done something worthwhile with my life! Yes we gave them a challenge of epic proportion.
Now is our own turn to show up and amaze each other with the stories of how the ravages of time have worked upon us and what winds of fortune have blown us to what exotic places. Reminiscing has never been an interest to me before, but as we grow older we have much to gain by remembering those amazing days of growing up in the 60’s. The music, manners and outfits have already captivated the new generations, so why don’t we all get back together and show them what it was really like?
Just imagine how our world has changed through the years of our maturing and our days of contributing. We used dial phones on land lines, wrote everything by hand, read paper printed books and took tests with number 2 pencils. We drove Thunderbirds, Simcas, Chevy Super Sports, borrowed station wagons from our parents, old panel trucks, old Plymouths, vintage Healeys, and rode fat tire bikes around our neighborhoods. Nobody would have thought of being seen in something made in Japan named Toyota Prius, no matter how many miles to the gallon it got.
Needless to say times have changed and so have we all, because we brought about most of these changes. And that is why we owe it to each other to share our times and stories. Surely the years have been good to us and our generation has been good to the years. Let’s gather and talk about the world we have created and even tell the old tales that had so much to do with shaping us into the people we have become.
I think it will be a terrific gathering, judging by the plans I read about and the old friends whose names appear in the credits. Please make every effort to be a part of this creative experiment in ancient history. Who knows, but that you might meet someone whom you never knew had a crush on you. Imagine…
I hope to see you all in October, 2014!
Bill Henderson,
Senior Class Prez, 1964,
Dear Old Lee High