Celebrating our 60th at LT

Pictures start below these reminiscences

From Linda Christianson

Beforehand we thought really, really, really, should we REALLY host another high school reunion? I mean, aren't we really, now, too OLD? We had already hosted successful 10th, 25th, 50th and 55th reunions, after all. But somewhat reluctantly our familiar gang of Julie, Judy, Don, Mary Sue, Bob, Barb and I gathered at Judy's to see if, maybe, despite Covid, we might pull something together for our belated 60th. Would anyone come?

We still had our $300 deposit in place at the William Tell Holiday Inn, now renamed only the Holiday Inn, and their event planner was happy to show us the room we had reserved. Don dutifully sent out an email blast to the 600 or so classmates whose addresses he could find, and of those, maybe about 60 hinted that they MIGHT attend. But once the Delta variant made itself felt, Don in particular felt very, very wary of hosting another reunion unless he were sure folks were fully vaccinated and willing to be masked. Others of us felt the same wariness, and bit by bit, our classmates, even those who tentatively committed, dropped off the list.

Finally in August, we decided to cancel the reunion, and the sad email was sent. But THEN, we thought, well, what if we just hosted an informal reunion, mostly outdoors? So out went another email, and back came about 20 responses that yes, that would work.

Where to do this? We had initially planned for Friday evening at Flagg Creek Golf Course, who reassured us that we could use their main room and bar, then order hot dogs and hamburgers from their grill. Then, as a very welcome alternative to the large, barren room at the Holiday Inn, our classmate Bob Hopkins offered his home as a venue for Saturday evening. Ah, so much simpler! We could provide coolers of wine, beer, water, and soft drinks, a light dinner, some chairs, and we'd be set.

Late in September I chatted with our classmate Nancy Chambers on her porch on Peck Avenue, and she invited us to bring our foldup chairs to sit on her parkway for the Homecoming parade that would pass right by her house.

So, all the pieces seemed to fall in place, but Julie, Judy and I admitted that we felt little real enthusiasm for this reunion. We hardly recognized the names on the list of attendees.

Friday evening at Flagg Creek I was grateful to see name tags to help me match the faces. When, in all my growing up years, had I ever had a conversation with these people? I think some of them felt the same, so I took the initiative, introduced myself, and made my way around the room. We discovered that if we didn't know each other, we at least knew some classmates in common. One of our classmates, Marie, told us she had 26 grandchildren! Another, John Strougal, a widower, seemed to be especially interested in Julie, whose husband died in 2010. Soon I saw her smiling. By the time I left the room did not feel quite so full of strangers.

Saturday morning many of us appeared on schedule at Nancy's to watch the Homecoming parade. Don's wife Mary had found a stuffed lion, along with some signs that said "LT Class of '61". As the floats passed, the kids threw wrapped up candy in our direction, and some seemed to be thinking, wow, class of 1961? These people are OLD! But we were spry enough to pick up the candy from the street.

From there several of us moved on to Bob's house on Sunset to set up for the gathering later in the day. Julie arrived to tell us that John Strougal had tried to kiss her after they left the golf course on Friday evening! But Julie had very properly told him he could kiss her on the cheek

Bob and his wife Lynn seemed happy to have us at their home. Bob showed us the large family room he added in 1990, doing almost all the construction work himself, including installation of two beautiful stained glass windows that had been in a synagogue. Once we had set up the coolers, trays and utensils in the kitchen area, our set-up team moved chairs to Bob and Lynn's deck and sat to enjoy the sun and the company of their black lab Chase.

Later in the afternoon the guests began to arrive, some with canes, most eager to find a chair. A few did not seem to be quite sure who was who, and a couple of them seemed to have very dim memories of having been at LT at all. But animated conversations began in the family room, living room and dining room, and then we drifted toward the kitchen for the pasta salad, sandwiches and cookies Mary Sue had brought for us. From there several of us moved to the outdoor deck table, and as others joined us Don started up some of the '60s hits on his Pandora Playlist, including my special request, Mr. Blue, by the Fleetwoods.

Next came the best part: Bob started a fire in his backyard firepit, the first, he said, in years. One by one we moved our chairs in the direction of the fire and formed small conversation groups. But as we all moved to the fire, we formed a circle, the 25 of us a small enough group that our faces all reflected the firelight. Don suggested that since this might be our last reunion, it might be a time when we could go around the circle and speak of our memories of LT, or of anything else we might wish to share. We began with Marie and her 26 grandchildren! Couples spoke of their families: Bonnie and her husband have a grandson who played on LT's Homecoming game football team. Some of the spouses shared recollections of their high school years elsewhere. Julie and John, next to each other, seemed happily companionable. As we moved around the circle, people spoke of favorite teachers, being kicked out of class, funny incidents that some others around the circle remembered too, and it all became a kind of shared memory of years we realized we had valued. The fire warmed us all to each other, and to a now long-ago time.

At the end Lynn and Bob spoke of their happiness to have us around their fire, and said we were welcome to celebrate there again next year. Will that happen?

Julie and John left the reunion together and have plans to continue seeing each other; Bonnie will reconnect via email with Joan; other connections were renewed. Maybe, now that we are moving close to 80, we should not plan much farther ahead than that.

But, whatever happens, our 60th was fun, and I feel lucky to have been part of it.

From Nancy (Chambers) Kenney

It has been 2 weeks since our reunion, and I am still feeling the glow. I particularly enjoyed it because I was in the midst of recovery from my eye surgery, and it was my first time "out" in weeks. All of you were helpful and kind and gave me an arm when I needed it. Thank you. A few things I would like to mention. First, thanks to Don and Mary Brown and the reunion committee for their hard work. As far as I am concerned, THIS is the way to hold a reunion! I didn't go to Friday night's event, but the evening at Hopkins' home was perfect. Bob and Lynn were gracious and welcoming. The intimate atmosphere beat - hands down - a restaurant, banquet hall, or bar.

This intimacy fostered a sense of renewed friendship with those we had known for years - in my case, childhood playmates of Bonnie Stine and Judy Ramp (let's go by maiden names here) and a brand new friendship with those we first met at our class reunion. It was revealing. I knew most of the women and a few of the men, one of whom I had a few dates with. He knows who, but I'll let the rest of you wonder. And some embarrassing moments. At the parade, I mistook George Rivaldo for someone else and several times shared past stories with him - even telling him how much he looked like his father. This must have been the last straw because George very politely told me he thought I had mistaken him for someone else. I had. Instead of being mortified, we both laughed and made a joke if it. This is a blessing of old age, you can be a little dotty and no one cares.

Other men:

1. Don Brown and his superb wife Mary. Don, if we lived next door, Mary and I would surely be best friends - what a terrific woman you married. And Don, you are equally awesome. The Browns - a great couple indeed.

2. Dick Dilworth and I discovered that we were both writers and talked at length about writing and the ordeal of publishing. (I have written several books, too.) He is working on some books right now, and I would love to read them. What an interesting guy, I hope we can stay in touch.

3. Dave Ek, Linda's husband Rick, Bonnie's husband Bill, Bob Hopkins, Dick Dilworth, Julie Flora, Linda Christianson, Judy Ramp and others helped me up and down steps with strong arms and a minimum of fanfare, keeping my embarrassment to a minimum. Thanks, guys.

4. An then, there is John Strougal. John stayed for awhile after the parade, and we talked for a long time. The conversation was so natural, easy, and fun that I can't believe we had never known each other in high school. How did that happen?

Those of us lucky enough to live in this area really should try to get together more often. The class of 1960 used to have monthly dinners at the Magic Wok. We should try something like that. As far as reunions, let's still do them - but 5 years is too long to wait. I would be happy, as mentioned by Art Owles, to work on them. The easier the better.

And a definite commitment - as long as I am here, you are invited, every year, to watch the parade on my parkway.

With great fondness,

Nancy Mabin Chambers Kenney (I have many aliases).

From Don Brown Class of '61, a Remnant, Drawn to a Flame of Hope

In October of 2021 the Class of 1961 was drawn to the flames of a backyard fire pit. The host was the fullback of our high school football team and we were the fans of old. Many didn't know each other but many did. The committee had been planning the 60th since our 55th in 2015 but the pandemic made us cancel twice. Suddenly, a mini-local reunion emerged at the direction of the Orchestra Leader. Last minute emails brought together a smaller group of 25 of the old guys and gals on a Friday night at the Club House in a local golf course. (See pictures)

A classmate living on the parade route invited all for a Saturday morning coffee, donuts, more memories, and the class of 2022 parading as our hope for the future - actually a 61st Reunion for the class of 1961. Afternoon sunshine brought some together on Bennett Field as the good old Gold and Blue celebrated Homecoming. The beautiful fall partly cloudy day surrendered to rain showers but not before our high scoring offense and an impressive defense, including a classmate's grandson, produced a 56-0 shutout. (See pictures and video)

After our host, hostess and committee prepared the catered food, music and a welcoming environment, the stage was set for an awesome Saturday evening by the fire. (See pictures) Again, the rain departed. Stories were shared and memories were abundant around the fire pit. A math teacher probably laid the ground work for four grammar schoolmates to become a small business owner and a variety of engineers. Honors study Hall stories abounded. One classmate had 3 children and a combined 23 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

All our planning and canceling ended up with an evening of many blessings around that fire pit. So many to thank for the hard work and cooperation. So much to be thankful for and so much was out of our control including the timely openings between the clouds of rain. Only one question is left. Who was the Orchestra Leader? I'm sure He's saying, well done good and faithful servants. Thank you, Orchestra Leader, for your patient wisdom and playing our fight song during Friday night (See singing 1961 classmate video) and Saturday's parade (See pictures of our 2022 marching band)!

FRIDAY NIGHT AT FLAGG CREEK

1a. VIDEO (22 seconds) - LTHS fight song