The Memorials

Every forest branch moves differently in the breeze,
but as they sway, they connect at the roots.
-Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks

Soon after I was asked to present the Memorial to our deceased classmates, I began to think of ways to acknowledge each of them without reading the growing list of names. We had determined that they would be listed in the Memory Book, but I wanted a little more than that and just the few comments that I would make.

In December, I spotted shiny, glorious purple ornaments in the holiday aisle and I had my answer! I would write the almost 80 names on purple and gold balls and hang them on a tree. I hoped it would work.

On a warm afternoon in February, I wandered the woods looking for just the right tree. I found a beautiful, bare sweet gum, its gnarly branches glowing in the winter sun. I cut three limbs and put them on the porch of my grandmother's old house. I checked them often to see that they were drying well and that the shapes would fit together. Carrying them through the woods had not been a problem, getting them the 30 miles to the Country Club was another matter.

On Saturday night, classmates were asked to place one of the balls on the tree; the list had now grown to 82. I was surprised that it began to matter whose name they hung -- not usually just a close friend, but someone they remembered from third grade or junior high or band. Each deceased classmate was remembered and missed.

I had prepared my remarks and promised not to take more than five minutes, but after we had gathered in the dining room, I knew I needed to allow some other words. Now, I'm not even sure at which point I asked for two sentences from . . . anyone. A few stood in place to remember old friends out loud; others just remembered. I think it was a good part of our time together.

NOTE: Before the Reunion, we did not have the names of Betty June Hendricks (Oglesby) (2004), Julian David King (2008) nor Douglas Granger.

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Thanks to Fred Fidler for bringing in the tree and to my daughter Susan for hanging the lights.
AAB

The Official Photo

This is the photo which was taken on Saturday morning. No. I can't identify everyone! Can you?

Tracy Symms did a great job with this. Send her a 20$ check for your copy. Email her if you have questions. Email me for her contact info, if you deleted this week's email.

-0-0-0-0-

While you are thinking of who is on the steps, keep in mind those classmates who had to miss the Reunion for health reasons. They can use your good thoughts.

-- Suzanne Sinsheimer Shapiro, who managed to get to the school for the photo, but could not get to the evening events, says, "Health issues sometimes prevent one from doing things they want to do most, but you have to keep the faith, be optimistic and keep on going." Good thing for all of us to keep in mind.
-- Joy Hughes Mallard has had a whole winter's worth of medical problems. Just when the coast seemed clear, she broke her ankle and Wade got a bad cold which seemed too much like the scary flu.
-- Barbara Myers Garner is under the weather and having tests done.
-- Gay Cox Shaw said, "I really hate that I missed it - I had arthroscopic surgery on my knee and couldn't walk too well."
-- Yvonne King Langley wrote, "I was in the hospital having a heart catherization. That resulted in my fourth stent so it is best that I did not try to come to Augusta. I had looked forward to the 50th reunion since the 45th and planned to be there right up to the last minute."

AAB
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Our Spirits Soared

For several years, a nervous committee had suggested, rejected and planned for a weekend which would be The Best Ever while classmates marked dates on calendars and set travel schedules in hopes of a great reunion.

On Thursday night, a few of the out of towners and a few locals gathered for a "Beyond Casual®" meal. The first of the HUGS, the exclamations of greetings and the astonished comments about how-good-we-all-looked set the tone for the evening and let us know that we had nothing to fear. As copies of the Memory Book were opened for the first time, the magic began to happen.

On Friday night, Purple and Gold reflected in the old arched windows and off the old polished floors of the Julian Smith Casino. Many of us came early, taking advantage of the announcement that Weatherman Bob Smith (AKA Robert Gordon Smith) would be doing his 6:15 segment from his 50th High School Reunion.

We all felt like celebrities on the Red Carpet as he greeted and interviewed us between giving weather facts. His old neighborhood friend Michael Danish arrived from Maryland; Dorothy Lanier Cravey popped in from South Georgia, Gilroy Garner came from Texas, Madeline Register Bandy came from Florida and . . . and . . . .

Jane Bass Moxley's registration committee checked off names and passed out nametags with BIG lettering! Ron Colvin made sure classmates got the Memory Book as they came in. Laughter filled the rotunda and spread into the great stone-walled casino.

It was just the beginning of a fabulous night of BBQ, memories and dancing -- exactly as planned by Chairman Pete May and his hard-working committee. The magic continued as the purple and gold balloons were released into the night sky. (Okay, it was an accident, so don't get weird.)


On Saturday morning, we climbed the steps of the school -- were they always this high?!!









We sat in desks ready to answer questions, wondered about high tech props in the Auditorium and strolled the halls looking for the 'hottest' guys and gals.



We took floods of memories with us to the front steps in time for the official picture. The photographer atop the firetruck lift was not as 'high' as we were as we squinted past her into the overcast sky.





With the Canal not refilled enough to float the Petersburg boats, Co-chairmen Harry Pund and Butch Murdock and Saturday Event Chairman Don Patterson made the decision to substitute a cruise of the Savannah River aboard The Patriot.

Mary Todd Pyott probably put it best: "We loved everything, especially the river cruise (in all my years I had never been up the river!)"

I didn't get reports from everyone about after-lunch activities, although I heard there were a few small get-togethers of close friends and a few naps. Well, maybe more than a few naps. . . .



On Saturday evening, we all worried a little about dressing for the Augusta Country Club -- Old insecurities die hard, don't they? -- What does "dressy casual" mean anyway? What is too fancy? What is too casual? We quickly learned that whatever we had on was exactly right! (No one cared -- except the CC staff which has rules about denim, no jackets and cell phones.) And as one dear hubby said, to reassure his spouse when she said that she wouldn't know anyone and that she was old and fat, "all of us are old - and half w(ill) be fat, so not to worry."

Well, we didn't worry. And we were all comfortable because everything was perfectly planned by Janice Johnson Dixon and her committee. No detail was left to chance so there were no glitches to make anyone wonder what came next. The flowers, the music, the food (oh, yes! the food!) and the program were spectacular! Helen Gnann Byars' husband Joel said, "I've had more fun at your reunion than at mine. It was really FIRST CLASS!"


Frank Stafford and Jayne Dye Snell began the formal portion of our weekend with the same sense of decorum and humor which made them our student council co-presidents fifty years ago.








Charles Henry* had prepared to serve as our emcee with more gentleness, fun facts and coincidences than anyone could expect.





When we stood for the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and sang out "Glory, Glory, to Old Richmond," we knew why we had come.

And by the way, Bubber Best can still make us swoon, Rae Brown still delights the heart, the basketball teams could still win a few quarters, Joyce Blanchard and Minta McDairmid still have the figures we love to hate, and not a few members of the Sabre Club can still pass muster.

The magic was still around as we called for our cars. Our Spirits Soared.

We stood in the driveway and chatted as if we didn't want it to end.

Somehow, I don't think it did.
---------------------

* For copies of Charles comments, please see my email for his corrected email addy.
For copies of the official photograph, please see my email for the Photographer's info.
If you are not getting the email blasts from me, why not?

Annette
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It Was SOME Reunion!

I have notes. I have pictures. We worked so hard on the reunion, we were afraid it would do like some we've heard of. We were afraid it would fall flat. The only real negatives are: 1. So many stayed away, could not come or were just missing -- there was a hole in our joy. 2. It was not long enough for spending time with every one!

I promise to get some info up in the next few days. I have just been catching up with things I left undone while getting the book to the printer. See you soon.

Annette

Cruising down the . . .

Since the Canal is still a mud-hole from the repair procedures of the late winter-early spring, our cruise will now be on the River. Don Patterson has created this flyer with details. Please note that 10th Street doesn't go through, so 11th is the best bet. When 11th deadends at Tattnall Street, there is parking on the left in the old Golf Hall of Fame property or in the parking lot at the Marriott one block to the right. Walk through the cut in the levee to board the Patriot.

This event is full.
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The Countdown -- Favorite Song #10

It's Elvis and Heart Break Hotel



Remember: The "Our Songs" label or the sidebar link will give you a Ten Song Countdown to #1.

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Charles Jackson Jenkins 1941-2009

I apologize for missing this notice. Thanks to Blythe Carroll Hampton for calling it to my attention.

Jack Jenkins played football and ran track during his years in junior high at ARC. He was a member of Young Life. Many of you will remember his sisters, Jane and her husband, Milner Lively, Betty and Tommy Green.

His obituary from the Augusta Chronicle follows:
Retired Edgefield County Building Official NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. - Graveside services for Mr. Charles Jackson "Jack" Jenkins, 69, of West Woodlawn Avenue, North Augusta, SC, who entered into rest April 14, 2009, will be conducted Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock in Sunset Hill Cemetery. Father David F. O. Thompson officiating. Jack was a native of Augusta having made North Augusta his home for the past 47 years. He was a member of St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church where he was a former member of the Vestry and a US Army Veteran. He attended The Academy of Richmond County, Augusta College, The University of Georgia and Aiken Technical College. Jack was retired from the State of South Carolina as an Edgefield County Building Official, worked as a Superintendent of Construction, a licensed Building Contractor, a licensed Home Inspector and was a former Real Estate Agent. He was a certified Building Official and Fire Marshall, a member of the Board of Directors of Central Inspections and SC Code Compliance and a member of the Building Officials Association of South Carolina. Jack loved boating and fishing at Clark Hill Lake, the University of Georgia football and working in the yard. "He fought the good fight, holding on to his faith and a good conscience." Survivors include his wife of 47 years, Pamela Hayes Jenkins; three daughters and sons-in-law, Debbie and Rob Rothley, Peachtree City, GA, Cindy Owens, North Augusta and Jennifer and Matt Creswell, Huntersville, NC; four grandchildren, Cameron Hayes Rothley, Matthew Thomas Creswell, Jr., Reagan Elizabeth Creswell and Bonnie Pamela Owens; 2 great- grandchildren; two sisters and their husbands, Jane and Milner Lively, Augusta and Betty and Tommy Green, Carrollton, GA. Honorary Pallbearers will be Pat Timmerman, Charles Goodwin, Oliver Owens, Roger Lowe, Milner Lively, Tommy Green, Bill Benjamin, Matt Creswell and Rob Rothley. The family will receive friends at the funeral home this Thursday evening from 6 to 8. Posey Funeral Directors of North Augusta in charge of arrangements (803-278-1181). Visit the registry online at www.poseyfuneralhome.com . Sign the guestbook at AugustaChronicle.com

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Ready to Party!

Military Ball. Golf Ball. Graduation Ball. Sock Hops. Sock Hops. Sock Hops.

We don't party the same way, but we still party! If you are not on the list, why not? (Bold indicates names recently added to the list; let me know if you have paid but are not listed here!)
Updated April 30: The reservations have been closed. These folks along with spouses, friends and significant others are gonna PARTY!

I don't know about you, but I'm haven't changed a bit so I'm going to wear my mother's makeup. See you next week.

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Annette Adams Bush
Jack Adams
Donna Andrews Pittman
Brenda Atkins Fuller
Larry Wendell Beam
Jane Bass Moxley
Jack Bearden
Joe Bill Beazley
Carolyn Bell Jones
Alex "Bubber" Best
Joyce Blanchard Baker
Ronnie Bowers
Betty Brown Kastner
Jackie Brown Neal
Rae Brown Higgenbottom
Carolyn Cadle Folds
Ben Cheek
Lee Cheeseborough
Herbert Clark
Joann Cliett Dukes
Ron Colvin
Blythe Carroll Hampton
Marie Croft Neal
Michael Danish
Sherry Doris Mercer
Nancy Dunn Adams
Jayne Dye Snell
Barbara A. Ellis
Fred Fidler
Frederick Fuller
Mary Gahnz Usher
Alma Gardner Dewitt
Faye Gardner Harris
Gilroy Garner
Eddie Glover Tanner
Helen Gnann Byars
Kittie Graham Taylor
Tim Hegler
Charles Henry
Nancy Huff Berzins
Joy Hughes Mallard
Judy Hunnicutt Johnson
David Hurst
Elizabeth James Roye
Ruthie Jarrett Fitzgerald
Charles Johnson
Janice Johnson Dixon
Shirley Johnson
Maria Kellett Couch
Judy Kent Huff
Janice Keel Helton
Yvonne King Langley
Robert Koontz
Hamilton Kuhlke
Carol Lamb Thurman
Fred Lamback
Dorothy Lanier Cravey
Susan Leard Wright
Speir Lehmann Mary
Caroline LeRoy Ayers
Judy Little Muphy
Betty Love
Wade Mallard
Bill Marsh
Pete May
Minta McDiarmid Nixon
Pete McDonald
Jimmy Melton
Tom Mercer
Carolee Metcalfe Wende
Claude Miller
Grace Mitchell Hayles
LaVerne Montgomery Young
Bob Mulcay
Alvia "Butch" Murdock
Cobbs Nixon
John Overstreet
Drew (Dip) Page
Linda Paschal Cannady
Carol Patterson Wesse
Don Patterson
Becky Paulos Girten
Jimmy Paulos
James R. Perkins
Joan Pilcher King
Dennis Primrose
Donovan Pugh
Mae Pulliam Williams
Harry Pund
Forte Rabb
Betty Reed Keenan
Madeline Register Bandy
Elizabeth Reid Lundquist
Carolyn Remley Burns
Raymond Richards
Donny Ross
Carol Ann Sandiford
Arnold Scharnitsky
Randall Scott
Robert "Bob" Smith
Joyce Sherrod Wilson
Patricia Sox Snyr
Frank Stafford
Emily Stevens Baumann
James Strong
Judy Stubbs Terry
Maxie Terry
David Thomas
Vernon Tice
Mary Todd Pyott
Ruby Turlington Preuss
Harry Vaiden
Lydia Wammock Ramsey
Bill Ward
Elaine Watkins Skeel
Chuck Wende
James Westbury
Sandra Whitaker Woytcke
William Wilkes
Douglas Woo
Marvin Wren
Merle Wright Dansby
Anne Yearty Gojda

Request for names of girls in picture: Top Ten Candidates for Honorary Cadet Colonel, Military Ball. The picture was taken from the annual. Two of the girls are not identified. Do you know who they are? Top Center is Rae Brown*
L to R: Martha Tallman, ??, ??, Lydia Wammock*, Faye Bussey, Nancy McElderry, Sheila Seago, Helen Gnann*, Jayne Dye*. *Will be attending reunion.

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Another Class Member Has Died

An email this morning began to spread the word that Mary Comeria Whittle (Sikes)has died. Carol Lamb Thurman had received word in Kansas from Merle Wright Dansby in South Carolina. Later emails from both Don Starnes and Caroline Leroy Ayers wanted class members to know of her passing. A morning of concern, memories, friendships. It seems we were together just yesterday. It does not feel like fifty years.

Carol wrote: I met Comeria in the eighth grade at Tubman, and we were friends from then on. She and I roomed together at UGA. I last talked with her in October before the decade reunion. I hope Comeria can be remembered along with our other classmates who have passed. . . .

Caroline's note had this message: Comeria and I met when we were in junior high and both volunteered at the downtown branch of the Augusta Library. Since she went to Tubman and I went to Langford and we went to different grammar schools, I may never have known her otherwise. She was a good friend and blessing to all who knew her. I haven't seen her in years, but I will always remember her as a thoughtful and caring person. I'm sure she will be greatly missed by family and friends.

Under her picture in the annual was this quote, "'Tis said, her presence would make an undertakers' conference entertaining," so I particularly loved that she was still "known for the witty and inspirational handwritten notes . . . ." Oh, the smiles she has left.

(Mary) Comeria's obituary is below, but

Mary Comeria Sikes (1941 - 2009)

Mary Comeria Sikes, 67, passed away at her home Sunday, April 19, 2009, as a result of kidney failure.
Funeral: 10 a.m. Thursday in Laurel Land Memorial Chapel. Interment: Laurel Land Memorial Park of Fort Worth. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.
Mary was born in Augusta, Ga., on Dec. 27, 1941, to Benjamin Howard and Annie Lee Whittle. After graduating from the University of Georgia, she taught school in Augusta and Smyrna, Ga. She married her high school sweetheart, Lee, on Aug. 8, 1964, in Augusta. After living in several locations in the country, they settled in Fort Worth in 1982. She worked at the Fort Worth Public Library from 1984 to 1990. Mary was a member of Hillside Memorial Christian Church and was active in the Christian Women's Fellowship. Mary was known for the witty and inspirational handwritten notes she sent to the shut-ins as well as to the church members serving in the military overseas.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her older brother, Dr. Michael Howard Whittle of Moultrie, Ga.
Survivors: Husband of 44 years, Lee Sikes; children, Leigh Ann Morrison, Benjamin Sikes and wife, Brooke, and Andrea Robia and husband, Michael; grandchildren, Erika Wikoff, Olivia Sikes, William Robia and Matthew Robia; sister, Linda Johnson and husband, Gen. H.T. Johnson; and sisters-in-law, Janet M. Whittle and Beverly S. Fester.

Published in Star-Telegram on 4/21/2009

There is a link to the obituary here where you may leave a message to the family.

Have you missed me? It's Earth Angel

Announcement: "The Blogger has been away from her posts while she has finished the Reunion Memory book." True. But I have been thinking about the 59 Musketeers as I have edited your bios and cropped photos and double checked your information. The Memory Book is different from those we have had in the past. It has been my privilege to create this special edition. More about it later -- a few sneak peeks. Maybe. heh heh.

Meanwhile, enjoy our Song #9. Earth Angel by the Penquins. It's a newer version and they're closer to our ages.




If the video doesn't come in, try this link

Here's an interesting raw recording of Elvis singing Earth Angel in Germany. Not the best recording of Earth Angel (or from Elvis) but the photos are interesting ones of Elvis's Army years.

---

Chances Are You'll Love #8

It's Johnny Mathis and our #8 favorite, "Chances Are"




Just in case you've forgotten, this list of songs was compiled from your responses for the 45th Reunion. If you want to have a complete countdown from here to #1, just click on the tiny little 'oursongs' label below or use the link under "The Lists" on the left sidebar. You'll have them all in one place.

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Here's What We Looked Like

Don't forget that the Reunion Photograph will be taken on the steps of ARC at 10:00 on Saturday morning. Here's what we looked like five years ago at the 45th!



--
45th Reunion photo

It's A Big Four-Oh!

Yes. A big four-oh at the 50th!

Over and over, I have heard on the phone and read in emails, "I just don't want to come by myself." Well, guess what? There are more than 40 classmates who have made reservations for the weekend who ARE COMING BY THEMSELVES!

So, do you want to stay at home where you will really be alone or come party with a couple of hundred Fabulous Fifty-niners!?!

Send Harry your check!

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Tables Piled High!

On Friday night, memories will be the topic of the evening. There be a lot of "Do you remember. . .?" "You haven't changed since junior high!" and "Oh, wow! I had forgotten this." Fifty years will be erased in minutes as we compare nametags and faces and relax.

Chairman Pete May has arranged for memorabilia tables to be set up for ARC, Langford, Murphey, and Tubman along with one for any other junior highs we went to. Bring things to share and show off. There will be someone at each table to help you place your treasures. Photo albums are appropriate for Friday as well.

On Saturday night, our focus will be more on who we are now. We'll remember those who have died. We'll talk about life after 50. We'll share things we forgot on Friday night. We might even sign each others' Memory books! Chairman Janice Johnson has checked on all the details to make this a night of memories. We'll get past the remembering and make new friends of old friends or old enemies.


So get your stuff together.

Put your name on everything.

Be ready to enjoy tables piled high!








Photos from Madeline Register's Murphey Junior High collection.

Dan Miller 1941-2009

Dan Miller has sent his bio and photos for the Reunion Memory book. He will be included, but he will not be with us. He has contributed to the memories of the class across the years in notes to the committee and comments about Augusta on his own blog.

Danny died last night here in his hometown. We will miss him.

This link will take you to his home station http://www.wsmv.com/video/19136339/index.html http://www.wsmv.com/danmiller/index.html
More videos and clips about Dan Miller from WSM.

I will put up more info later today.

Annette

On March 9, 2009, I posted an entry here about the Reunion questionnaire along with suggestions of how you might use the forms to send us information about yourself I suggested that you "think of what you would like to read about your old friends. Then tell us that same thing about yourself;. . . " Then I used a photo of Danny Miller reading to his daughter's third grade class. As I thought about what to write about Danny today, I decided to let you read his own words. This is how he answered those questions for our Class of 1959 Fiftieth Reunion.

---What has been your main focus (career, family, hobbies/collections) for the past fifty years?....Broadcasting. It's the only thing I've worked in all these years. In fact, in 1961 I decided to take -- what I thought would be -- a one quarter sabbatical from Augusta College to earn a little extra money editing film full-time at WJBF. Here we are 48 years later and I still haven't gone back to class, but I might yet!

---What would surprise us most about what you have been doing, are interested in or have become?....
The most surprising thing for me, by far, was becoming a father again at age 57, after my first three were already grown. It was frightening to me, but has truly become the most wonderful thing I can imagine in life.

---What surprises you most about your reaction to having grandchildren? That's easy... My biggest surprise about being a grandfather is... I'M A GRANDFATHER!!! Isn't that something really old people do?

---What has it taken you 50 years to learn?... That 50 years can pass in no time at all.

---How or why would you most like to be remembered?... Oh, I suppose as a kind person who came up with a few good ideas, and became a friend to some really fascinating people, even some of my childhood heroes, along the way.

--—What is your favorite memory or what one thing would you change about your high school years?... I wouldn't change a thing, except maybe try not to be such a dork.

---What is the best thing about retirement?! ... I have no idea. Maybe I'll be able to answer that someday way down the road. Remember, I have a 10-year old daughter.


---
The photo is of Dan Miller with his friend former anchor, Jim Davis. Danny sent it for our book. It was taken at Sacred Heart Cultural Center while Dan was here for the 59th Anniversary Celebration of the premier of "The Three Faces of Eve" at the Miller Theater. I sent him the link to the article about the event.


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The Righteous Brothers & Hit # 7

At the 45th Reunion, 0ur Top Ten List placed Al Hibler at #7 with Unchained Melody. I liked this version by The Righteous Brothers better. It may just be the youtube quality. Click on the white arrow and prepare to enjoy.





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Guess Who's Coming To Dinner!!

Actually, these party people are at Langford. Do you recognize any of them? (Click on the photo for a larger image.) Some of them will be coming to the Reunion. You probably won't recognize them then either.

Here is the list of people who have decided to come share memories, meals and dances on the weekend of May 1-2, 2009. They will probably not have a monument placed in their honor as General George Washington did when he came to Augusta and reviewed the troops at our school in 1791 . They will be able to stroll Broad Street and the RiverWalk, read nametags and do a lot of remembering.

Will you be one of them?

0 = 0= 0 = 0 = 0

Annette Adams Bush
Jack Adams
Donna Andrews Pittman
Brenda Atkins Fuller
Jane Bass Moxley
Jack Bearden
Joe Bill Beazley
Joyce Blanchard Baker
Ronnie Bowers
Betty Brown Kastner
Jackie Brown Neal
Carolyn Cadle Folds
Herbert Clark
Ron Colvin
Michael Danish
Nancy Dunn Adams
Jayne Dye Snell
Barbara A. Ellis
Fred Fidler
Faye Gardner Harris
Brenda Gay Applewhite
Helen Gnann Byars

Tim Hegler
Charles Henry
Nancy Huff Berzins
Joy Hughes Mallard
Mike Moxley
Judy Hunnicutt Johnson
David Hurst
Ruthie Jarrett Fitzgerald
Charles Johnson
Janice Keel Helton
Hamilton Kuhlke
Carol Lamb Thurman
Fred Lamback
Dorothy Lanier Cravey
Susan Leard Wright
Mary Lehmann Speir
Caroline LeRoy Ayers
Judy Little Murphy
Wade Mallard
Bill Marsh
Pete May
Minta McDiarmid
. . . .Nixon
Pete McDonald
Jimmy Melton
Tom Mercer
Carolee Metcalfe
. . . .Wende
Grace Mitchell
. . . .Hayles
Bob Mulcay
Butch Murdock
Cobbs Nixon
John Overstreet
Linda Paschal
. . . .Cannady
Patterson Donny
Becky Paulos
. . . .Girten
Jimmy Paulos
James R. Perkins
Dennis Primrose
Donavan Pugh
Mae Pulliam Williams

Harry Pund
Forte Rabb
Keenan Reed Betty
Madeline Register Bandy
Elizabeth Reid Lundquist
Carolyn Remley Burns
Raymond Richards
Donny Ross
Carol Ann Sandiford
Joyce Sherrod Wilson
Priscilla Sox Snyr
Frank Stafford
Emily Stevens Baumann
James Strong
Judy Stubbs Terry
Maxie Terry
David Thomas
Mary Todd Pyott
Harry Vaiden
Lydia Wammock
. . . .Ramsey
Bill Ward
Elaine Watkins
. . . .Skeel
Charles Wende
Jim Westbury
William Wilkes
Ethel J. Wilson
Sandra Whitaker
. . . .Woytcke
Marvin Wren
Merle Wright
. . . .Dansby
Anne Yearty Gojda


0 = 0 = 0 = 0= 0
I have not put hometowns but will be glad to help anyone locate a classmate. Just email me or leave a message in the comments. There is still time for you to call a friend, send a check, add your bio to the book and enjoy the fun.

--
Today's b/w photo from Chuck Wende
Color photos from my file

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Where In the World Is. . . .

Jimmy Melton is one of the people who will be dancing at the Reunion. He and Cheryl have great fun where ever they go! Come join in!

A Potpourri of Stuff You'll Want to Know

• Bios/Photos and Reservations

It is NOT too late to send them! Just fill out the form and send about 300 words about yourself (or just answer the questions) ALONG WITH A PHOTO which tell us about the interesting you as an adult. Just use this email address! (I will email the form to you if you have lost yours.)

We now have close to 150 reservations. We are limited to 200, so get yours in now! If you are from out of town, don't assume that your local friends are coming. CALL THEM UP! TELL THEM YOU ARE COMING TO SEE THEM! Send your check to Harry Pund!

Come make some memories like these from Chuck and Carolee Metcalfe Wende:

• REUNION PHOTO

If you have not planned to tour the school this year, you may want to change your plans. The official photo will be taken on the front steps of ARC at 10:00 ( ack!, not 10:30,) so be there.

• BLOG UPDATES

---Thanks to Madeline Register Bandy, Niki Johnston and Paul Wolfe, we have found out about a few more people. There's an addendum on the blog links for the deceased and for the missing, please check to see if you can verify any of these.


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Places to Eat in Downtown Augusta

This list is for downtown only since you will probably want to eat SOON after the Canal Cruise. There are some franchises as well, but I have tried to list locally owned places which I love.

If you have another to add, just click on 'comment' at the bottom. There is a complete listing of area restaurants on the Metro Spirit website
Amazing! Who knew there were so many?!!


For breakfast and lunch, try one of these:

• Sunshine Bakery -- 1209 Broad Street -- Great Bagels!/ Great Sandwiches

• The Whistle Stop Café -- Corner of 5th and Greene Streets -- Great Biscuits! Great Hamburgers!

For lunch, I like these:
All are open on Saturday (subject to change)

• Augustino's at the Marriott - #2 Tenth Street -- Bargain pasta bar! only M-F--11:30 AM-2:00 PM no pasta bar on Saturday

• Beamies at the River - 865 Reynolds Street -- Good Seafood

• Blue Sky Kitchen - 990 Broad Street -- Redneck Stirfry and other unusual good stuff

• Boll Weevil - #10 9th Street -- Great Desserts

• Café 209 - #4 8th Street -- Good Southern Food

• Cotton Patch - 816 Cotton Lane at Riverwalk -- Long Time Favorite

• Fat Man's Riverfront Cafe - #1 Seventh Street on TheRiverwalk -- Better View; Good Food

• Nacho Mama's - 976 Broad Street -- Big Old Burritos

• Pizza Joint - 1245 Broad Street -- Guess!

This is just a little list with a decent lunch variety.

• T's is still on Hwy. 56.

• Sconyers is out off Hwy. 25

• Luigi's is still on Broad Street.

Remember to let me know if you want to join a group for Thursday evening dinner.

Okay, start your stomachs!
--


Photos from my collection of odd places. Top one is The Whistle Stop.

Our Number 6 Song!

The Platters, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.

I hope this one is on my dance card!

Your Committee at Work

I thought today's photo would make you think that your committee is working themselves to the bone but, truthfully, we are having too much fun! Here are some bits from last night's meeting.

Harry Pund and Butch Murdock have coordinated the efforts of this group.

Saturday Night: Pete May has planned a fun evening with BBQ, dancing and memorabilia. Tables will be placed around the room for displays of your 'stuff' for ARC, Langford, Murphey, Tubman and the Potpourri (those who went to Junior High in other places.) You'll be able to sign in, browse bits of the past and have a mini-reunion with old junior high buddies. A short show, dinner and dancing will fill the night as you begin to recognize old friends in new faces. Betty Reed Keenan and Donna Andrews Pittman are decorating, so you know it'll be cool.

Saturday Morning: Don Patterson has arranged for the school to be opened for touring at 9:00 with the class picture on the front steps at 10:30. Then we'll head down Walton Way and turn left onto 15th Street. Turn right onto Greene Street just after you cross the Butts Memorial Bridge. An immediate right turn will take you to the parking lot of the Enterprise Mill complex where you'll find the Petersburg Boats on the Canal. Be sure to allow lots of time for the Interpretive Center before and after the cruise. Pick a spot for lunch and enjoy your afternoon.

Saturday Evening: Janice Johnson Dixon wants this to be a memorable and fun evening. We will have the entire floor at the Country Club to ourselves, so there will be no crowded rooms. A buffet dinner as only the ACC can do it will begin after a greeting and invocation by co-class Presidents Frank Stafford and Jayne Dye Snell and the Memorial to our deceased classmates. Charles Henry will emcee the evening and a DJ will provide our favorite music. We'll still be visiting as the last song ends. If you are wondering what "dressy casual" means -- put on something a little special but be comfortable -- you are gonna dance; you're gonna hug; you're gonna eat. You want to look good in the pictures.

Thursday evening and/or Friday lunch: If you are coming into town early and want to join classmates for a meal, let me know and I'll put together a little group.

The Memory Book: Ron Colvin and I have received lots of information for you. If you still have bios or photos you wish to send, please do so. We will squeeze you in as late as possible. If you run across an interesting photo of yourself as an adult, don't hesitate to send it.

The books will be available both evenings, so you can pick one up either night. Your name will be on it, so don't worry about losing it.

Oh, the things you have shared. I can tell you this:

• Few look the same.

• Most are more interesting.

• Most don't care who you used to be, just who you are today.

• Few will care if you have grey hair or no hair; if you are fat or thin; if you are wrinkled and pruney or smooth and lifted.

• They WILL care that you made the effort to come to share the weekend with them.

A reunion is like a walk in the early spring woods. You never know what you'll find after the long quiet winter, but the Unexpected will make it Memorable.

photos: Sunday Walk in the Woods

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Guest Blogger: Charles Henry

Charles Henry will emcee Saturday Night at the Country Club. He is today's guest blogger.

Fifty years! How can it have been fifty years since we walked the halls of Richmond Academy? After just looking in the mirror, I now believe it. What a cathartic opportunity we have the first and second of May! I realize those of you who live in Augusta may feel very much at home, but to those of us “out-of-towners”, it will be different returning to the familiar named streets that no longer look like they did fifty years ago.

Speaking of the reunion, it is to be quite an event. And, if you have not planned to attend there will be some very disappointed people who are traveling to Augusta in hopes of seeing literally everyone again. I cannot imagine anyone living in the area not attending.

There will be some surprises and many a smile. I even heard there would be some music reminiscent of 1959. There are a lot of people working doubly hard to make this a memorable event for everyone. Sure hope to see you there!

Charles Henry

The Old School Tour

The tour of our old school seemed to be a highlight of the 45th -- someone even managed to get the band room open! Caroline LeRoy Ayers sent these photos. Can you name all the people? If not, you should definitely come for the 50th and meet these old friends again.

The Gifts in Life -- The Stories of Two Freds

Freddie Lamback and Frederick Fuller have reasons to be proud, yet their stories are not their entirely their own.

When we left high school in 1959, we were excited about the possibilities for ourselves. We just knew we could do anything! As many of you have pointed out, we lived in a golden age - it was a special time.

We began to make choices as semi-adults: college, marriage, jobs, children. In our twenties, we still had a lot to prove to others and to ourselves before we could really feel like adults. But most of us made it to real adulthood! And for some the challenges took on a new perspective; the challenges were no longer just about US. The challenges involved our families. And that was scary.

For Freddie, the challenge was a son with cerebral palsy. Starting Lantz with swimming at age nine, Freddie and his wife, Donna, helped him compete in able-bodied programs until he was 14. Since then, they have cheered him on to winning medals and breaking records. In 2008, Lantz Lamback won four medals at the Beijing Paralympics -- including his first GOLD.

Always there for Lantz in spite of work schedules, Freddie's interest in supporting other young people with special needs has led him around the globe. He continues to participate in seminars on disabled swimming and recently assisted in setting up disabled programs in Egypt and other parts of Africa. Donna thinks he should retire so he can do more! Now 22, Lantz continues to give as well. A student at Augusta State University while not training in Colorado, he can be found sharing with local young people and inspiring their dreams. Not unlike his father.

For Frederick, the challenge was a daughter-in-law with the need for a transplant. Dealing with the frightening heart condition of their son's wife and the mother of three of their grandchildren was not on the list of 'family activities to do' for Frederick and his wife, Mary, but the love and prayers which enabled them to raise their own family was passed along.

It is what carried them all through the eventual heart transplant of Jeannie Fuller and which fills the days of their son, Chip, and the grandchildren. It is what enables them to celebrate the two year transplant anniversary while prayerfully remembering the family who made Jeannie's new heart possible. One only needs to read blog messages to spot the way this family accepts the Gifts in Life. And, yes, Frederick's big wide smile is still there.

Read more of Jeannie Fuller's story here.

These two classmates have given support and care to the next generation -- it's just what you do -- and they have come to understand that the Gifts in Life are not always what you expect them to be.

From that we can all take a lesson.
For that we can all be proud.

---

Another Favorite Song --#5 "Ain't That a Shame"

Fats Domino, Ain't that a Shame



--
Are you up and dancing yet?! Gee, you ARE old!

What You've Said! #2

NASCAR is my # 1 passion!

Anonymous until the Memory Book is revealed

I love it that this person has a passion.
With an exclamation point! Too many of us don't.

We think we are so old
-- we are not as old as we look.
We think we have become our parents
-- they never had as much fun.
We think we can barely make it through the day
-- a little passion can cure that!

And then, I love this gull's cocky, confident attitude.
"I am who I am." He could be one of us.

He knows you would like to intimidate him
-- he doesn't care; he'll leave you a present.
He knows he looks a little funny
-- have you seen his friends?
He knows he really CAN soar
-- passion will do that for you!

Come to the Reunion.
Bring your PASSION.
Bring your Attitude.

-----
Photo: VanGull on his painter's palette.
I rediscovered him this week and couldn't leave him out!
For another version of this post, check here
@Annette Bush

News You Can Use: Things to See and Do

If you arrive in Augusta early or stay over on Sunday, you might have a little more time to check out your old hometown. If you live here and haven't visited most of these sites, shame on you!



The Augusta Canal Interpretive Center and Petersburg Boat Tour should already be on your ToDo list for the weekend. website One of the Petersburg boats has been reserved for class members and their guests for Saturday morning.

Come be a part of the morning and explore the history of the country's only industrial power canal still in use, learn about the people whose lives centered on the canal, spot some wildlife and a familiar site or two from "the other side" and visit with old classmates aboard the 65 foot replica of the original boats. I don't know which is the best part of the experience -- inside the Center or outside on the cruise -- so don't miss this a minute.

Later in the day, you might want to bike the tow path or canoe the canal.

Morris Museum of Art. website You knew an art museum would be at the top of my list! Well, not necessarily. I've found a few Dull and Boring ones and I was prepared to put this one on the D&B list, too -- until my first visit.

Still in a temporary location in a downtown office building, The Morris is a jewel box of visual treasures created by artists in or from the South. Its library is the Center for the Study of Southern Art and it partners with the Imperial Theater to bring excellent examples of Southern sounds throughout the year. Each permanent gallery focuses on a theme/period and the exhibition galleries showcase excellent and varied art works by both contemporary and past masters.

Even if you "don't like art," you'll find something interesting at The Morris. (Three year old Lucy loves the gift shop!)

Sundays are always free at The Morris and you'll enjoy the view across the Savannah of the new homes on the South Carolina side if you stroll the five-block Riverwalk afterwards.

Augusta Museum of History. website If you remember the Augusta Museum from its old days in the Richmond Academy building on Telfair Street, it's time for you to visit again. An up-to-date facility, with fun exhibits about the region's history from pre-historic hunter-gathers to a space shuttle mission by an Augusta woman, this museum is not dusty old history and the James Brown exhibit rocks!

If you love James Brown's music and want to do a tour of points of interest in his life, check this website

National Science Center's Fort Discovery website On the opposite end of the Riverwalk from the Morris Museum of Art, Fort Discovery focuses on Math and science. More than 250 hands on exhibits make this a favorite for young and old. It'll make your hair stand on end! It's on 7th Street at the River, near the old Town Tavern.

Sacred Heart Cultural Center website Here's a place you could encounter on a tour of Europe, it's just that it's here in Augusta. And we almost tore it down!! If you have never been inside, don't miss it. This magnificent former Catholic Church has more than fifteen exterior brick patterns, marble carvings and stained glass windows. It is now home to several arts organizations and the great hall hosts weddings, parties and events. Pick up a brochure outside the gift shop downstairs.

Phinizy Swamp Nature Park website
If you still have time or just want to get outside, the Phinizy Swamp Nature Park is the place to go. 1,100 acres of swampland! A network of trails, boardwalks and observations decks allows visitors to this nature preserve to get a look at the birds, animals and plants in they may forgotten live in this area. A successful wetlands project, it is a relaxing place to visit.

First Friday on Artists' Row Broad Street on First Friday just might remind you of the days before the malls. Well, maybe not. It's a little more arty and rocking and entertaining. It officially begins at 5:00, but you should stop in a little early around the 1000 block of Broad Street while there is still be parking available. Then we'll see you at the Julian Smith Casino!

The Augusta Metro Convention and Visitors Center has a brochure both online and by mail which has more information and maps if you need more. CVB website

If anyone else has suggestions, just pop them into a comment below. I will be posting places to eat next week, so save those until then.

Photos:
Augusta Skyline
Riverwalk Gulls
Sacred Heart Interior
(c)Annette Bush

--

Here's Another Great Pretender

We come to class reunions wanting to know what you are doing these days, wanting to know what would surprise us about you.

Fred Fidler thinks this would surprise you. Fred and his Hobby have gained recognition beyond the neighborhood, but it is impossible to imagine just what you'll find if you remember this mild mannered engineer and if you've never dropped by. The house is filled with smoke and creepy characters which truly seem alive. The yard is filled with tombstones, dozens of jack'o lanterns and spooky things. It's a Halloween Extravaganza.

The neighbors come to the house down the street with joyous abandon and timid bravery on golf-car mini-hayrides and decorated baby strollers. Friends show up, too. Fred has the most fun of all in his formal attire and Dracula make-up.



Visit, if you dare.


--

Lunch At the Creek

It was a Girl's Day Out Afternoon today.

Lunch usually begins at 12:00 but no one ever wants to leave. We bring out the old annuals, catch up on today's news, talk about the reunion and gossip a little (did you think we wouldn't?!!)

GDO is arranged by Janice Johnson Dixon for the third Thursday of each month at Jones Creek Country Club. We hear there are plans for a road trip to visit Donna Andrews P. soon. An email or phone call will get you on the list. If you live out of town and are headed to Augusta, plan your day around lunch at the Creek.

Photo: February Girls' Day Out; Judy, Betty and Janice

-

The Platters Sing Song #4! on our Hit Parade

"The Great Pretender" with an encore -- "Only You"


Stay tuned for one each week. Our Favorites List was compiled from responses to the 45th Reunion questionnaire.

What You've Said!

There is a reason to have your children when you’re young.

Drew "Dip" Page

Your responses to the questionnaire have been great fun for us to read as we prepare the book.

There have been lots of comments about grandchildren and the joy they bring -- or is it a second childhood for us? George and Mary Todd P. are on their annual trip this week with three grandchildren -- no parents. I have had these two charmers at my house for 26 months now. Carolee sent the BEST photo which defines her days -- you'll have to wait to see it.

There have been indications of having traveled, wanting to travel and going to travel, but little indication of where you've been and fewer anecdotes about leaving a passport at home, being pursued by a gypsy cheese vendor in France, having tea on a blue silk cushion with a Buddhist monk in Japan, being seasick while deep-sea fishing in Puerto Rico or watching the sun come up across the Atlantic with old high school friends. I could tell you ALL those things, but then you would have to share your stories.

Some of you paint or crochet or create things in wood, clay or metal. There are not many pictures. Don Patterson sent the best photos of his days. Or maybe it was Herb Clark. Or possibly Judy Little Murphy . . . . and then there are the black and white photos in batches from several people -- stuff from the 50s and 60s . . . .

We have a tough job ahead. The book will have about a 1/2 page for each person and a directory in the back of all 375 on our roll. Someone called it the Memory Book. I like that. If you think of more memories you'd like to share. There is still time.

Photo: Lucy and Belle on the way to the St. Patrick's Day Parade. They are granddaughters of Annette Adams Bush and the late Henry Bush.

-

Answering Questions!

Here are some of the answers. Hope they help. If there are other questions, use the comment box and we will try to answer them here.

• Concerning the costs. The $75 covers Friday Night BBQ with cash bar; Saturday visit to the school; Saturday Night Buffet with cash bar and the Reunion Book. If there are two of you, you may have two books -- give one to a friend from another class.

The one-price Canal Interpretive Center and the Canal Cruise and Saturday lunch are not included.

Send $22 for the book ONLY if you are NOT coming!

==============================================================

• Deadlines.
  
• The reservation deadline is April 1st. Save Harry and Butch a little trauma by sending yours in now.
  

Call an old friend and make it a foursome or a twosome. (We heard there might be make-out music.)

• The "soft" deadline (isn't that a funny term?!) has passed for the Reunion Book submissions. Now that we have enough to begin the preparation for the printer, we will gladly take others and additional materials for a few more weeks.

Once we are finished, to quote my grandchildren -- "Too bad!" -- so send it in NOW!


==================================================================

• The Host Hotel. These rates have been arranged at the Partridge Inn on Walton Way $109 for a superior king, queen or double queen room, $119 for a suite, and $129 for a balcony. When calling, please reference: Richmond Academy"s 50th Class Reunion.

This link will take you directly to the booking website: Reservations

The Partridge Inn Website is here.

----------------------------------- more later. . . .

We have had a couple of people offer extra bedroom space. If you'd like to stay with someone or if you have space to share, please let me know. email me at <>

Photo of the Confederate Monument on Broad Street

Have Fun!

If this doesn't get you in the mood for reminiscing with old friends, nothing will!

Thanks to all of you who have sent such great photos. We won't be able to use all of them in the book, so we will share a few here. Watch for some other little videos.



Hope you can identify a few of these girls who just wanna have fun!

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List of Classmates We Can't Locate

Thanks to Mary Ghanz Usher for keeping such great records of where we are. We currently have addresses for more than 375 "found" classmates. We do not know where these are. If you know where any of these are located, comment below but send specific information to me in an email.

Alonzo, Rebecca Romone
Alonzo, Thomas Jose
Arthur, Harold Bradley
Found! Austin, Marie Hutcheson
Barbara Pierson Bennett
Found! Bargeron, Don Jerome
Bateman, Carolyn (Karkoff)
Beasley, Dorothy Ann
Found! Betty Powell Hughes
Braswell, Nancy P. (Longway)
Brooks, Jacqueline E.
Broome, Lawrence
Cameron, Jean Olive
Carter, George M.
Carter, Jane Eloise
Clark, Emory Gerald
Clark, Rita (Mosley)
Coder, Beverly Ann
Cooler, Martha Marie
Cunningham, Barbara Baxley
Davenport, Jane
Found! Davis, Louis Neal
Dixon, Mabel Jean
Docurro, Frances K.
Ducato, Billy Preston (Jackson)
Durden, Billie
Edmundson, Alice (Timmerman)
Ellis, Charles Howard
Floyd, Helen Gale
Ford, Patricia A.
Deceased. Fountain, William Clyde
Franklin, Barbara
Getz, Patricia
Ginsburg, Eileen S.
Goetz, Robert
Goff, Patricia
Goodson, James Lenwood
Goodwin, Jerry Hudson
Graves, June Elizabeth
Green, Jeanette
Hadden, Roy Lester
Hall, Joyce Lea
Hammock, Frances Lucille
Hendrix, Patricia
Heng, Margaret Theo
Hornby, Diane Ellen
Hughes, Carl Gene
Jenkins, Robert Fulton
Jenks, Juanita
Johnson, Bernard William
Johnson, Jeanette H.
Johnson, Margaret Beatrice (Daley)
Johnson, Wallace Dean
Josey, Annette Parsons
Kendrick, Jessie Timmons
Kerr, Jack Russell
Lain, Sandra E.
Lamm, Myrtle (Simmons)
Lawton, Rosa Lee
Leopard, William H.
Leverett, Sara Nell
L'Oisiau, Marie Evelan
Found! Long, Harridell
Love, Dennis
Lowe, Betty
Markillie, Hulde Elaine
Marshall, Martha A (McCoy)
Martin, Barbara Jean
May, Pat (Merritt)
McCarthy, Mary Virginia
Found again!McCreary, Barbara (Sandlin)
Deceased, Melton, Arthur Robert
Miller, Ella Maxine
Miller, Linda Kathleen
Mitchell, Alexander Jerry
Mitchell, Joan Carol
Mitchell, Robert B.
Mixon, Emily Gertrude
Montgomery, Edward E.
Moore, Barbara Turner
Morris, Brenda L.
Murphy, Doris Ellen
Neal, Carol M.
Neal, JoAnn
Nelson, Robert Kenneth
Newcomb, Vicky J.
Owens, Jean Mae
Found! Parker, Tom
Parsons, Edward
Phillips, Lester
Powell, David Mason
Powell, Mary Sue
Price, Janice Michele
Read, Nancy (Major)
Reeder, Robert Eugene
Reid, Patricia Ann
Reynolds, Patricia N.
Rhymes, Edwin Allen
Salyer, Olive Katella
Sandwich, Lynn
Schnedl, Mary Beth
Seats, Betty June
Seigler, Jackie Wardlaw
Smith, Donald Ellis
Found! Stevenson, Jane Mary
Stewart or Brock, Lavaughn
Stewart, Lucy Mae
Stine, Betty Jane
Stole, Michael Edgar
Summons, Annie Lou
Found? Swetman, Robert Echol
Truitt, James B.
Found! Tuten, James
Waddey or Bradley, Jerry Glenda
Found! Weathersbee, Flora Mae (Underwood)
Weeks, Martha Elizabeth
Wilhelm, Glenda Elizabeth
Wilkes, Ruth Marilyn
Williams, Sandra Alene
Wilson or Byers, Winifred
Wooten, Betty Sue
Ziesing, Christel


We believe these are our folks, but we need to verify. If you know about them, please let us know.

THOMAS ALONZO in Michigan?
WINIFRED BYERS in Georgia?
ROBERT E. SWETMAN in Georgia?


If you have been "found," do stay in touch and send a forwarding address if you move.

Are you making plans for the reunion?

It's Song #3

Fats Domino -- Blueberry Hill

Did someone mention parking there once or twice?

*(NOTE: The original video was removed from YouTube. If at some point this one is stopped, please let me know. Annette)

How's Your Hand?

If you have been thinking about all the work required to put on a great reunion, here's your chance to help.

We are still looking for a calligrapher who can put names on labels in a fancy font! We really don't want to do it on the computer and you don't have to live nearby to help out with this one!

We don't promise to erect a monument in your honor like this one on Greene Street, but we sure would say thanks!

Photo: Can you identify this one? It has something to do with writing names!