Recently, I attended my 50th class reunion and as I returned home I had many reflections on my classmates and our journeys in the years since 1963….oh my, what we have experienced in these years since graduation day! First I must tell you that I grew up on a Kansas wheat farm in south central Kansas and attended all 12 years of schooling at Oxford, Kansas. It is located on the banks of the Arkansas River and the town was named Oxford because the settlers had to cross the river….therefore the horses and oxen had to “ford” the water, thus “Ox Ford”! The town is located between Wellington and Winfield on highway 160 and has a population of about 1000 people—-often called a bedroom town for Wichita since it is about 30 miles south of this air force/Boeing city. There is one stoplight, a post office, 5 churches, a funeral home, one bank, a drugstore, a liquor store, two restaurants, a convenience store/gas station, a sheriff, laundry mat, swimming pool, library, and three schools……elementary, middle, and high school. There used to be a grocery store, a doctor’s office, a hardware store, a furniture store, and a mechanic, but they are all gone now. I started to school in 1951 along with 27 others and we all graduated together 12 yrs. later. It is a very stable farming community and we all knew each other well. There were 34 in our graduating class…….here are some of their stories.
As I arrived on Friday afternoon, there was Freeda with her clipboard giving us instructions, making sure we had our tickets for the banquet, handing out the schedules, and making sure we knew where to meet on Saturday afternoon, and giving us directions. She has always been an organizer…..we let her keep us on our toes. She never had children of her own, but taught Kindergarten for over 30 years…..so she had many children to teach and did it well. She has been my best friend since we were 5 yrs. old. We spent every birthday together for at least 13 years and we still call each other on “our day”!! We are just six weeks apart in age. She has always “taken very good care of me”! When she handed me my nametag…..she said: “Oh by the way, I made your room reservations at our hotel for you!” I think she thought that I’d forget……I’m sort of a procrastinator and she is a planner! I smiled and thought: It’s so good to know that some things never change…….
As we gathered at Judy’s (our own Miss Oxford) I couldn’t help but be amazed and grateful for these wonderful, lifelong friendships. These were people I loved, respected, and trusted. We had already lost 12 class members, so we have learned not to take each other for granted……we don’t get any garantees.
There was Phil….. our class president. He had laughed his way through high school……always has a big grin on his face. He was probably bored in school since he didn’t have to study……he’s retired now from Sony where he was an executive……he spends many hours playing golf and traveling……lives close to his son and grand children in Atlanta. We grew up across the road from each other……so proud of him.
Then there is Ray…..our own overachiever. He’s been a loan officer, investment counselor, county agent, etc. He’s run for public office and won all manner of awards and trophies. His resume looks like who’s who. He was one of those: ‘get her done guys’ and he has. Made us proud to have known him. He brough his wife and she was lovely. Glad they came.
There sat sweet Sherrie. She’d come from Colorado…..clearly to tell us all goodbye. She has pancreatic cancer and it was obvious that she was in pain and oh, so tired. Her brother & sister in law had brought her in their motorhome so she could sleep much of the way. I so admired her for making the trip…..she was always a favorite and we hated to see her like this. So sad!
Pam came……direct, funny, honest to the core…..she’d been a teacher for about 35 years and recently retired. Got so tickled at her telling us about taking care of her 94 yr. old mama. She said: “I tell her every Saturday: ” Put in your teeth in and put on your hearing aides or I’m not taking you to the store!” and she yells back at me: “WHAT??” Oh, it’s so much fun!! ” Guess all of us have experienced the role reversal that takes place when we become the parent to our parents and they become the child. Not something we want, but a fact of life……such a hard transition to make.
Trisha, another favorite…..she also had been a teacher for 35 years…..as had her husband, who now had Lou Gehrings Disease……such a hard assignment for them to endure. She had asked me to pray for him at the last reunion and he has often come to mind over the years since then. They have moved closer to home now as they wait for the inevitable. My heart goes out to her as she watches this wonderful husband slip away. She has two grown children and lots of family members near Oxford who give her great support…..so she isn’t alone on this journey.
Linda, beautiful lady….still. One of the Homecoming queens. She was always our fashion baramentor and set the bar for being one of the prettiest in the class. Her dry sense of humor carried us through the rough times. She brought her husband who clearly adores her and we decided we all liked him……he is worthy of her and takes special care to show it. She has three grown children and many grands……it was fun to get to be with her three sisters again too……Judy, Sandy, and Betty.
Gearld came and brought his wife. I was overwhelmed when he told us that the youngest of his seven children just made parole. I thought: Oh my! What a brave thing to say…..and he trusts us with this information. I was so glad he could tell us. When we first started meeting after high school…..we didn’t have a reunion for 15 yrs…. That was the one where we were still trying to impress each other with our education, careers, homes, cars, spouses, and kids……next one, we were just maintaining, but now: we are family again……reality and the bare bones truth. Thanks Gearld for bringing us all home again and making it REAL…..and we are so happy for you and this victory for your family!
Teresa, she didn’t come……but we missed her. I had dinner with her three siblings and they told me she is in rehab again. She has been fighting her demons for many years. She was our talented, funny, artsy gal who was gifted beyond belief. She sang, wrote songs, played guitar, acted in all the plays, and made us laugh…..she was a little bit country. Bless her heart! My prayers are with you wherever you are……
Janis, our own sage. She kept us grounded with her dry, wicked sense of humor. She made us all laugh at ourselves. She didn’t come but it was understandable. She is already a widow and this year she lost one of her twins to cancer…..Julie. You aren’t supposed to bury your children. I don’t think she is ready to be social right now and we all understood that.
David, the only doctor in our group. He was always so studious and smart. Likeable, fun, and personable……has been on a journey of seeking answers to his health issues for many years. He still had that great smile, but you could also see that there was a great deal of pain behind it. He spoke highly of his son and his family…..so there are some bright spots in his life. He was our voice of reason when we got a little out of control…..he could always see the big picture.
Sunny Jo……her real name is Sonja, but if you ever met her you would know why she is called Sunny…….a little bundle of joy and spontaniety. She can still wear her cheerleading outfit…..and that is just wrong! But she looked adorable in it. She led us in our alma mater……and amazingly we knew all the words! She became a dietician and married a dentist. One son who is still single…..who loves to ski. She spoke longingly of someday having a daughter in law and grandchildren, but it doesn’t seem to be on his agenda yet. She was my sewing partner for 3 yrs. and we got in lots of trouble for talking. (I know that is just hard to believe!)
Kay(not in our class, but a special friend) brought all three of her prom formals! They each one cost about $25.00 in the early sixties……we figured that they would probably cost around $400.00 each, or more by today’s prices. Still beautiful dresses…she managed to take good care of them! Who knew?? That never entered my mind……I took mine to Goodwill years ago…..
Bob……our local football star! I didn’t know him and said: “TALK TO ME!” I finally got it by recognizing his voice. In high school he had piles of black curls on his head…..now, not so much…..not a hair on his head…..it is completely bald, so he shaved the rest…. said it sure cut down on his shower time. He is now a graphic artist and gave all of us beautiful stationery.
Jerry……sweet, funny and always wondering if “you are doing okay”?? He was the “go to guy” for encouragement, a big smile, a hug, or a last minute date. Always available and easy to hang out with. We always knew we could depend on him and his easy going ways. He married a very nice lady and has spent most of his life in Wichita. His mom was our school secretary and loved each of us like her own.
Larry…..always involved in whatever was going on and had a supportive, pleasant, positive personality. He loved sports (probably still does). Lived in Florida many years but has recently moved back to Wichita. He brought his wife and had pictures of the grands. Happy guy as usual and his wife told us quite a bit about her experiences in banking…..so glad they came.
Mary…..married a preacher and raised 9 children. Mercy!! She had to leave early because one of her 34 grandchildren was having a birthday party and her attendance was required. She said there is a birthday almost every week and some times two…..I believed her. She always had such a steady, unchangable personality…..with a quick wit and big laugh. I remember that she was really smart and made great grades…..without really trying. She loved to read. We did 4-H together. Great memories of our Model Meetings and going to the county fair together.
Judy……special lady. She was pretty, smart (honor society), highest score on the ACT, Miss Oxford, cheerleader, very musical….band,sang, and played piano, ……we even played a duet for graduation. We had part of the reunion at her house overlooking the river. She lost the love of her life a few years ago, but spoke often of her twin grand babies. She lived in California for awhile, but came back and has lived most of her life in Oxford. She keeps us informed about our classmates if there are things we NEED to know. She always set the curve in our classes and that was okay……
Kathy……blonde, beautiful, sweet, and funny. She married a pastor and has been all over the world on mission trips. She has taught hundreds of students to play the piano. She is now retired in Kentucky…..where she has lived for years. I can still see her making silly faces in Home Ec when Mrs. Montieth got after us for “drawing attention to ourselves!” She sometimes failed to understand our need for a little ‘comic relief’ in our classes…..may she rest in peace…..
Diane……our resident tomboy. She was one of our best athletes. I can still see her playing ball or running the bases. She vowed that she would never marry…..but she did. A few years ago she was trying to put out a fire in a field with a tractor and drill……but it overcame her and she spent months recuperating from the burns. She is a trooper and continues to be an example of making lemonaide out of lemons. She is one who knows how to accept the things we cannot change…..one of our heros.
Janet ……beautiful lady. She taught us girls how to wear make-up. We all admired her. She was our own Marilyn Monroe. The boys gravitated to her and she could have been on Happy Days. She is now a widow living in New Jersey where she runs a big concrete operation with her three adult children…..it’s a familybusiness. Miss seeing her…. she has only been back once, but it was wonderful to get to be with her again.
Judie (Beeman), (we had 3 Judys)……has done a little bit of everything. Traveled the world, got her doctorate, had some kids, some husbands, written a book (I’ve read it!), and learned to dance! (for real). She’s always been everywhere at once…..and to think she started in Oxford! Oh my! Always innovative and creative. Remember when she and David had to kiss (alot) in Arsenic and Old Lace??….I always wondered how much of that was acting? The last address we have for her was Hawaii…..such a deal! But who knows…..Judie was always one of a kind.
Yvonne……pretty, vivacious and full of fun. She was always popular with everyone and had a big smile to go with her red hair. She became a nurse and lives in the Tulsa area. Her brother Leroy often hung out with us…..he acted like he enjoyed our class more than his own….she was always up for anything we were about to do and I remember staying up all night with her at the Kaynette’s slumber party…..she has a son and several grands now that make her life more interesting.
The ones we lost still live in our hearts. Johnnie Jean…..killed in a car accident. Delbert and Ralph both had heart disease. Joe died of kidney failure. Judy G. had complicated health issues. Greg left us reeling right after we graduated……our class clown & prankster.. Don just sort of checked out. Johnny gave life his best shot and lived into his thirties……he was a “little person” and we loved him……his vocation was disc jockey…..he sounded like Woolfman Jack! and he always had a joke or a story to tell. He was another one of our heros. Jessie……handsome, gifted, and fun-loving left us too soon….and we had voted him the most likely to succeed……we miss you Jess!
Michael doesn’t want to be with us anymore apparently……..he has managed to miss every reunion…….so has Lynda. We would love for them to join us, but that probably isn’t going to happen. We don’t know where Rhonda and Vicky are. Lu lives in Florida and runs a very successful cleaning business and is just “too” busy to come back ….. miss her too.
My own life has been pretty predictable. I am one of the lucky ones. I had polio in 1952 and missed my entire lst year of school. My Grandmommie home schooled me, before it was fashionable and made it possible for me to graduate with my class. Mrs. Brown was my advocate and brought me my lessons every week. Because of polio I was left with a limp, so I could not march in our very infamous marching band, so I took piano instead. When I won lst place in the contests….all of you cheered me on like it was a personal victory for you too. I will always be greatful for your unconditional support. It was fun to give each of you a CD that I made for my 3 sons and 8 grands. I loved seeing your looks of appreciation….. Pam even asked for another one because she said she wore the first one out…..smile! You people are the only ones who can still get away with calling me : Sexy Drexy……imagine! My sons think that is just too funny!!
Do any of you remember when Phil put a stray dog in the home ec room during the noon hour…..then when he came by to pick up the attendance slip he asked Mrs. Montieth if she had seen his dog Hazel because he was looking for her……the dog was in the closet….whinning and who knows what else! She just about lost it. We almost never got back to focusing on sewing and cooking that afternoon. Poor thing!!
Well, it has been quite a journey hasn’t it? We survived the sixties and endured lots of experiences. I saw Robert at the banquet and I must have looked at him funny or something because he said: “Drexell, don’t look at me like that…… I’ve been down lots of roads and some of them weren’t paved!” I think we can all agree with that….. God has been good to us and kept us through it all. So grateful for the part you have played in my life. I wouldn’t be who I am if you had not been a big part of my story……and I’m sure you agree. Don’t think any of us really knew what a special time in history we shared. We lived out: Leave It To Beaver, Happy Days, and Father Knows Best. We just didn’t know we were living it out. We were blessed!!
We had our ups and downs…..spats, practical jokes, sadness, some drama! Remember the night Udall blew away during the tornado? Remember when we ditched school and went to the hide-out together or walked up to the old mill? How about all those games we played with Belle Plaine? What a rivalry!! Bus trips! Remember when some of the kids would sneak out to their cars and pick-ups during the lunch hour and SMOKE! WOW! It wasn’t even politically incorrect then….it was just BAD!! Do you ever think about Mr. Mercer, Band Contests, Group Sixteen? Black Was the Color of My True Love’s Hair…. Remember Mrs. Williams, Mr. White, Mrs. Ward, Mr. Wofford, Mr. Nicklus, Mrs. Montieth, Mr. Bentz, and don’t forget Mr.George or Mr. Davidson. They used to say we were a handful, but we were also a favorite class because we were SO ONERY! and let’s not forget our Senior Trip to Oklahoma City where we bought and tasted pink champagne!
Mrs. Williams once gave me an assignment to read Gone With the Wind and the book report had to include a good quote……I chose: “With enough courage……you can live without a good reputation!” Scarlett O’Hara That cracked her up and she said that only Drexell would choose that quote. It has helped me a few times when justifying certain actions/attitudes…….I think Scarlett was right!!
There was never a dull moment in our 12 years of schooling……almost all my memories are good ones and I hope yours were too…. So, until next time….. Every man a WILDCAT……NOW LET’S GO!!!
Now for the disclaimer: I know this is not completely accurate…..but it is how I remember it. It also includes a couple of reunions, not just the last one. I left out many who attended with us but who were only there for a short time…… just included the major players. There was Carol Pittman (deceased), Robert Mooney, Joyce Miller, Bobby McClure, Bob MacKenzie (deceased), Dale, Roy Beaushaw, who now owns a guest ranch in Colorado. Then there were the triplets and Lila from Gueda Springs…….think that Karen Chevront was also in our class for awhile……the tall, blonde girl with the beautiful voice……I know there were more……these are the ones I thought of. Feel free to make corrections in your relies…….my best regards to all of you…..may you live in health and abundance in 2013…..Your scribe, Drexell
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