Class of '59 Online Newsletter

Hello, Everyone. Each day I find myself getting better situated at my new job. I seem to be busier than ever; however, I have made time to update a few things on our Class of '59 Web Site as you will see below. Running into a few RMHS classmates has been a pleasure, and some of you have stayed in touch via e-mail. Life goes on and so do the many friendships we established at good old Miller High. I hope you enjoy the updates.

--- Ted

Reunion Pictorial Book

Diana McCrady (Chapman) e-mailed recently that all the materials for the Reunion Pictorial Book are at the printer. We own Diana a Big Thank You! She and her committee stayed on this task which took time effort. We're all eager to see our books arrive by mail.

E-mail Update

Our Web Site has been left on-line to allow us to keep in touch. The "E-mail" page brought many of us together for the Reunion and should continue to be useful. Lloyd Lester has e-mailed the Web Master to inform us that he has moved to Kerrville, Texas, and has also provided us with his new e-mail address, which you will find on the "E-mail" page. If your e-mail address changes, let the Web Master know. We hope to keep our data base of classmates current right up to the next reunion. So, keep us informed if your change of mailing address, as well as your e-mail address.

Updates Page Revised

The Web Master has revised the "Updates" page. Now you'll find senior pictures of classmates who provided personal updates prior to the 40-Year Reunion. If you have not participated in submitting an update for yourself, you will be contact by the Web Master during the weeks to come. Being able to read what our classmates have been doing over the years will be worth the work required to digitize pictures and post the updates. Be thinking about a brief update for yourself, and be on the look-out for the Web Master's invitation to submit it via e-mail.

Reunion Activities - Fabulous Fellowship: '59 Style

What can one say? One year of planning paid off with super dividends. The reunion was a tremendous success. Over 300 persons attended. That classmates and friends would take the time and travel to a class reunion forty years after graduation is a tribute to the camaraderie that existed among us and still lives.

Reception

The festivities began with the reception at the Holiday Inn Emerald Beach Friday evening. What a turn out! The members of the planning committee could hardly keep up with the arrival of classmates and friends. It was fun matching individuals with their reunion bags containing Information Books, name tags, and various souvenirs. There was a constant chatter of camaraderie. The room was filled with excitement brought about by continuous micro-reunions as individuals were reunited, in many cases after forty years of separation.

Snapka's

Driving up to Snapka's, the excitement picked up were it had left off the night before. Some of us were looking for the original "car-hops," but they didn't seem to be there (Could they have traded in their skates for walkers?). Good ole greasy hamburgers, fries, and cokes. No one even worried about pimples. The place was packed and over-flowing.

Miller Tour

Ted Garcia had responded to the requests of having a tour of Roy Miller High School, thinking a few persons might show up after Snapka's. At 1:00 PM, almost 200 classmates, spouses, and friends packed the entrance of the school. The group moved upstairs to the auditorium. You could hear the exchange of memories. Someone said, "It smells a little old in here." Then another responded, "It's all the people wearing Ben-Gay." Hey, we're not there, yet! Watching the effect of the old gym on each person was heart-warming. There was a reverence in the air. Many of the classmates moved into the stands on the south side for a group picture. Cameras were flashing from the floor, as if the main attraction had walked on stage. Spontaneously the group began to sing the Alma Mater, classmates holding hands and waving them slowly up and down. The spirit of 1959 was there all right. Each of us still carries that spirit wherever we go. The group moved out to the stadium where more stories were exchanged on the field and track.

Dinner & Dance

The climax of the reunion was in the evening gathering. Over 300 participants! The tables were colorfully decorated. There were old 45 records upon the tables, records with the classmates and guests names, along with their favorite songs. A jukebox played oldies, one after another. The hall was filled with warm fellowship and constant laughter, here and there and everywhere. For a while it looked like Pete Ragus would out dance many of us. Door prizes were given periodically. Picture this: David Irving and Ted Garcia are up front for the drawings. Ted draws the first slip and hands it to David, who opens the slip only to find that the name is HIS. David has to walk to the rear of the hall to collect his prize, so he turns the next drawing over to Ted. A classmate is asked to draw the next slip, and whose name does Ted read? The second winner is -- Ted!! Boy Scout's honor, it was fair and square, Boys and Girls. The night just wasn't long enough. "Ah Vonderful, Vonderful, Vonderful." "Ah Really Big Shew." (As Lawrence Welk and Ed Sullivan would respectively have said.)

Reunion Information Book

The Reunion Information Book presented a collection of all the information from the registration forms. Everyone is asked to sent in any corrections, additions, and new information about classmates we have yet to find. If you relocate yourself, let us know so an accurate data base of classmates can be maintained. There's talk of a 45-year reunion already.

Web Site

By popular demand the Class of '59 Web Site will stay online. It will continue to be our cyberspace home. Updates will also continue to go out via the web. As classmates and friends submit e-mail addresses, they will be added to our web directory. This feature truly brought many of us together.

Updating of Web Pages

Our Web Master has been updating pages, making adjustment reflecting the fact that that 40-year reunion has taken place. On the "Count Us In" page an effort will be made to list all the names of those who joined us at the reunion. The "Senior Photos" page has been re-structured to speedup the downloading of photos. You're in for a treat at the new "JukeBox" page. Links to web sites with music you will enjoy are listed. You're going to be surprised how much '50's music is out there on the web. As you find e-mail addresses of classmates and our friends, send them in for placement on our "E-mail" directory page. Be on the lookout for reunion photos on our "Snapshots" page. Obiously, the placement of pictures will depend on how well they scan and if they look good on the monitor. The Web Master may be contacting some of you again to collect classmate information for the "Updates" page. Don't be shy about submitting a brief synopsis of your last forty years. (Notice how the Web Master is avoiding "reunion withdrawals.")

GuestBook

The GuestBook has a few new "hits" this week.This is a perfect time for all of you who attended the reunion to sign our Web Site GuestBook, letting others know how much fun you had at the reunion. Go to the left frame, click on the GuestBook link and leave a note for us.

From the Planning Committee

The Planning Committee thanks everyone for participating in the 40-year reunion. All the time and work that went into this event was worthwhile, big-time! The bonds of friendship that have withstood the passage to time is truly amazing.

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