An adapted version of “The Town Crier” sent by Jeanne Harman on September 1, 2018.
FELLOW GRADUATES– COULD THIS BE OUR LAST REUNION ?????
In trying to locate different graduates for the reunion, the callers have learned that several in our class have health issues. Some are in nursing homes while others remain at home with somewhat disabling health issues. Also, the callers are finding out that many of our graduates’ spouses are ill with issues that hinder or make it impossible for them to attend the reunion. As I have said before: If you are able to get up each morning without too much pain, can dress yourself and tend to your daily needs, you possess the greatest of wealth- HEALTH. Count your blessings if you are one of the fortunate ones and remember those who are not so lucky.
If you are one of the fortunate ones…..please make your plans to attend our 58th reunion, October 16, 17th. It very well could be our last. Hopefully, we the class of 1960, will have a 60th reunion, but due to all the health issues mentioned in the first paragraph, this 58th reunion might be the end of the road for our class reunions. Therefore, make plans to come to Waco and help ‘turn the lights on’ with us and celebrate our long-ago friendships. There may be some in attendance with whom you did not know or did not know well in high school. If that is the case (because our class was large), remember that it is never too late to make new friendships! Our class has always remained especially close with one another and we always seem to astonish others with our closely-knit ties to each other. Do not let the class of WHS 1960 ‘turn the lights off’ without you! Click on the attached registration form and mail to Malissa. SEE YOU THERE!
It is important to be familiar with our Website: www.whs60.org Our directory is on the website so anytime you need an address for a graduate, you are able to go there for the information. Elizabeth Bentley is doing a fantastic job of keeping our site current. A big THANKS goes to Pat Payne for his financial support of the site and another big THANKS to Janet Hurta who keeps our directory current. We have the opportunity to contact a graduate from our on-line directory because of the information Janet maintains. Please read the following correspondence below to see just how far away our website is enjoyed—about 4,984 miles away!!!
From Our Graduates
From Åsa (Söderberg) Holmstrand:
“Hi, ya’ll,
This is an update from Sweden. I’ve followed this homepage for many years and am sad to find that so many of my friends from miss Mattie Bess Coffield’s debate class are gone. Jan Herring and Carlton Harrell, Mignon Furqueron Rodrigues, Hariadne Johnson. We had so much fun in class and on debate tournaments. Glad to see that others are still here like my team mate Betty Barkley. Also a special ‘hi’ to David Pettus, my prom date.
I am a graduate (history and English) of Uppsala university (founded 1477), Been married and have a son who also has been an exchange student in the US. Switched career after divorce and got a degree in physiotherapy. Miss Coffield’s Speech class contributed to that I became President of the Swedish Association of PTs and a member of the board of World Confederation for Physical therapy. I still consider the year I spent at WHS as the most influential in my life though I have worked or studied in France, Germany, Israel, Austria and Spain when I was young. I retired in 2004 but have remained an eternal student which is easy when living in a university town. All higher studies are free in Sweden.
I have been to the US on business (DC) but never made it back to Texas. Will see in 2020. Hope to see you then!
Åsa Holmstrand née Söderberg
PS Directory correction, please. Souad Khoury was not an exchange student from Sweden. She was from Syria and lived with her aunt in Waco. I hope she stayed in the US knowing the fate of her native country.”
From Rik Spencer on a recent tumble:
“I stumbled over the curb while on the way to get the morning papers, couldn’t keep my balance & took a header. Landed on my face & left side. Ended up with a concussion & bruised (subcapsular hematoma) kidney. Trauma surgeon told me I couldn’t do anything involving bending, twisting or lifting for 6 weeks, & now all I think about is playing golf! He thought my body would dissolve the clot over time. Still am weak, but at least Judy is letting me go to the mail box on my own again & get the papers & mail. Recovering slowly. Getting a little better & stronger every day, but don’t think we’ll be up for a long October drive. Will plan for ’20. Thanks for caring & God Bless!”
Rik
From David Pettus regarding the rains from Hurricane Lane on the big island of Hawaii:
“We are okay. Thanks for asking. Hurricane Lane is still hanging around our part of the Pacific; but the winds have never gotten too strong in our neck of the woods, although we have received a tremendous amount of rain. Fortunately, our house sits on a hilltop, so we are ‘high and dry.’ It has been an extremely wet year in our district, in fact. We have had more rainy days then sunny ones in 2018 so far. However, the island has so many different microclimates that it takes only a little while to drive to a sunny spot if we want to enjoy some blue skies and sunshine. So far, so good…
We send greetings to all the classmates. Might see you in 2020…”
In gratefulness,
Dave
From Dick Tooker regarding the fires in California:
“There were a few small (one-day) fires fairly close to where we live in Chico, CA, but the big ones were elsewhere. The nearest one was the Carr fire in Redding, 70 miles north of us. When we first moved here, we lived in the country outside of town, but we moved into town a couple of years ago. One of the reasons we moved was the fear of fire potential (another reason was rattlesnakes). Where we live now, the nearest tree line that could create a fire danger like they saw in Redding this year is a good 2-3 miles away. We’ve had smoke- lots and lots of smoke. There’s no fire here, but you can surely tell that northern California has been ablaze. Most days the sun looks blood red until it gets high in the sky.
So we’ll be OK. We’re out of the fire zone, and there are no earthquakes or mudslides in this part of California. Plus, we’re way too far inland to worry about hurricanes. We leave the tornados to Texas and Oklahoma – none of those here.
But of course, Mt. Lassen, a semi-dormant volcano only 60 miles away that historically explodes violently every 1,500 years, last blew up 1,600 years ago…..”
Richard N. Tooker
From Bob Easter who shared a dream with Malissa, David McPhail, Tim, and me:
“I had the most wonderful dream last night (8-27-2018) about our upcoming reunion and wanted to share it with you. It was a long, beautiful dream full of laughter, hugs, and fun. I was surprised at how large it was in attendance. Some of the conversations in the dream were memory making and I just wanted to hold on to the scenes this morning. We all have dreams we do not want to end while we are sleeping. This one stirred such great emotions and had me remembering treasures of memories from so long ago. I truly love to see and visit with classmates at reunions and this dream helped me once again realize how far we have traveled together. Sure, we are old, our health is defining, but our smiles, laughter, and memories are precious to each of us. I could care less about our shapes, walks, and looks today. It is the sound of voices, smiles and touches from an old friend that I want to take into any future tomorrows. I want to be with each person to let them know how they helped shaped me as a person by their words, deeds, and time and to let them know they are so important. Reunions are more, much more than remembering WHS days. Leaving a reunion is bitter sweet. We all know we may never see our friends again, but we know we get to carry home more treasured memories.”
May you be blessed today.
Bob
From Mickey Lavy:
This Month’s Riddle: TAFKAP What does this stand for?
Mickey said you can respond to him by email. Answer will be posted next month.
Aubrey Stringer
As you are aware, Aubrey does a lot of work for Chip and Joanna Gaines. An interesting article about Aubrey is featured in the Fall 2018 of Magnolia Journal which is on display until November 13th.
Reminder
Our Quarterly Luncheon will be at 11:30 am on Thursday, September 13th at Casa de Castillo. Contact Sissy Blair.
Feedback on Sondi (Nelson) Pace’s Talent
“I enjoyed the newsletter so much—especially the piece on Sondi…..what a joy to know that her gift has been shared all these years. I wish I had continued my piano after my grandmother was unable to teach me….but, as with most kids, I didn’t want the bother of practice. Now I sit at the piano and can still play a bit—but just envy those who continue to study and learn music.”
Clara Sue (Griffis) Arnsdorff
“I never knew Sondi played the violin!”
Betty (Luedeker) Gatlin
“I wish we could hear Sondi play her violin. She looks great. Tell her to send us something to listen to.”
Linda (Shelby) Lyons
September Birthdays
3- George Compton
6- Shirley ‘Joy’ (Rogers) Keele
9- Mary Beth (Cash) McMahon,
Jenny (Easter) Miles
12- Linda (Shelby) Lyons
15- Bev (Murphy) Wells
26- Dana (Sauer) Keifer
Show and Tell – Tommye Ruth (Blair) Toler
This month features Tommye Ruth (Blair) Toler. Tommye said she does not know if her “hobby” can be called a talent but for the last few years she has been painting clay pots and cement figures.
Tommye’s profession was that of a Registered Nurse. It was a most enjoyable and rewarding profession. Tommye explained that her desire to become a nurse was instilled in her back during West Junior High School days when she signed up for a Future Nurses Club at Providence Hospital. Members met every Saturday morning and were taught a few basic procedures and terminology before they started doing volunteer work after school– 2 or 3 afternoons a week. These members primarily ran errands and visited with patients. Tommye was assigned to Crippled Children’s Hospital which was a part of Providence Hospital at that time.
During Tommye’s years at Waco High School, she worked as a nurse’s aide at Hillcrest Hospital. She applied and was accepted to Providence Hospital School of Nursing; however, just after high school graduation, this school was closed. Tommye then visited Temple Scott and White Hospital nursing school and knew this was where she wanted to attend. Prior to her enrollment there she was required to take college courses in English, Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, and Sociology. After completing these requirements at Baylor University, she enrolled at Scott and White Memorial Hospital School of Nursing and graduated in February 1963.
After graduation Tommye worked in several different areas of nursing until 1968 when she went to work at Providence Hospital in their operating room. Tommye said the OR room had always been her favorite while in nursing school. She was working at Providence in Waco when the first heart program began and when the first open-heart surgery was performed. She also helped with joint replacement surgery. All of this was an exciting time for Tommye. In 1982, she felt she needed a change, so she went to work for Neurosurgical Associates, the office of three neurosurgeons. She stayed there until 1995. Her next ten years were spent at Hillcrest Hospital in their day surgery unit, the Surgicenter. She retired in 2005.
In retirement Tommye still wanted to stay busy so she and her dog, Freckles, (an Australian Shepherd) went to Lake Waco/Lake Air Montessori regularly and visited with the special needs students. Tommye and Freckles also visited nursing/retirement facilities. Freckles died in 2014. Tommye volunteered at Caritas for a short time and did a lot of work for her church, Lake Shore United Methodist. Tommye has a daughter, Robin Shaw, who is a realtor in Waco. Robin and her husband live in Woodway. Tommye does not have any grandchildren but does have a grand dog. Tommye likes to travel and has visited four of the Hawaiian Islands, Alaska, and lots of places in the continental USA.
A few years ago Tommye had a friend who planned to give away some clay pots that were not looking too good. Because of Tommye’s interest in painting, she asked if she could paint them in hopes to refurbish them. That was the beginning of a new hobby. Since that time, Tommye has painted lots of clay pots and cement animals for her yard and for friends. Tommy said that clay, if not glazed, absorbs the acrylic paint well and also holds the color. I think you can see that Tommye lets no grass grow under her feet. I also believe that her “hobby”
shows a definite talent. See what you think. And Tommye….thanks for your dedication to your patients and your profession. We, as seniors, are finding out first-hand the importance of a great nurse!
List of Reunion Attendees
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Ken and Scoot Baker Lynette (Muchow) and Jarod Baugh Malissa (Starnes) and Rex Baugh Louann Hilton Brady Jeanell (Buida) and Alexandra (daughter) Bolton Crozier Brown Rita (Coates) and Ed Burnett Gene and JoAnn Carson *Tom and Thylis Chambless (Tuesday evening only) *George Compton (Tuesday evening only) James and Gia Coone David and Anita Dibb Howard Dudgeon and guest Bob and Carolyn Easter *Janice Massengale Foster (Tuesday and Wednesday evenings) Betty Luedeker Gatlin Jeanne Holland Harman *Anitra Harrell Henrion (Tuesday evening and Brunch only) Kay Albright Hofer *Sue (Welborn) and Bobby Hopper (Wednesday Brunch and evening) *Karon Shinault Jackson (Brunch only) *Hal Johnson (Tuesday evening and Wednesday Brunch) George and Glenda Karahal Charlotte Suttle Kleibrink *Cathey White Land (Tuesday evening and Brunch only) Tim Lasseter Latta *Mickey and Melody Lavy (Wednesday Brunch and evening only) Pat and Carol Malone Bill and Jeanette Markum |
Dorothy Bryan McCook Linda (Phelps) and James McKee Mary Beth (Cash) and Don McMahon David and Janie McPhail *Jim Monnig (Wednesday Brunch and evening only) John (Moon) Mullen and Guest Judith Hamff Murphy *Frank Neel (Wednesday night and maybe Brunch) |
Tim (Lasseter) Latta’s talent is that of Designer. 
In the January issue of the Town Crier, a picture was posted of several of us at a dance—Fishpond or someplace where we used to dance. There was a fellow standing over to the right of the picture looking at the dancers on the dance floor. That fellow was Chris Ruebeck Wonder if he was thinking about “cutting in” on someone? Remember those days of cutting in? He does look as though he is in thought as to whether or not he should make the move. Okay, Chris…..what were you thinking? That was only about 60 years ago—surely you can remember! Haha.
Pat Payne is at it again! As you know, Pat and Patty (his wife) live in Naples, Florida at Wyndemere, a golfing community. Naples happens to be the Pickleball Capital of America and recently hosted the 2018 US Open Pickleball Championships. Over 2,000 competitors from 47 states and 17 countries flocked to Naples to vie for titles. Pat Payne and his partner, Chip Bachman also from Wyndemere, won first place (Gold Medal) in the 75+ (3.0 skill level) age bracket and the Silver Medal in the 75+ age open. Two others from the Wyndemere community won the gold in the 65+ (3.5 skill level) age bracket.
