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

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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Our Deceased Class Members

We have lost quite a number of the best class of the decade. We have a little information on some and none on others. If you have anything to add, please use the comment option below or email me at annette@annettebush.com. I will be in charge of the Memorial on Saturday night and I'd like to have all the names. Girls are listed alphabetically in the position of their maiden names.

We have some other information, but I hesitate to use more specifics than this. If there is no asterisk, we do not have a date available. * we have only month and year ** we have month, day and year

Marcus Anderson *
Barbara Babb
Millard Beckum, Jr. **
Charles Bignon **
Kenneth Wayne Bobo
Joy Boswell Blount
John Brickle
Beverly Bridges Smith
Phillip Burton **
Henry Bush **
Alvin Butler **?
Carl Carter **
Randall Cawley **
Charles Chason **
Jane Chow Wong *
Robert Cook
Virginia Davis Dreyfus *
Jean Dinkins Morris **
Margaret Eidson Jennings **
Leagree Elliott
Fred Endorf **
Jerome Epstein **
Sarah Elizabeth Foster
Nancy Garrett Phillips **
Sandra Gornto
Donald Douglas Granger **
Elna Grimstead Harris **
Betty Annette Hayden
Helen Hildebrandt Sheehan
Edward Holl *
Richard Holley
Thomas Howland **
Peter Hudson *
Joyce Jackson Rabb
Charles Jackson Jenkins**
Virginia Johnson Laird **
Wanda Kay **
Gene Kitchens
Julian David King**
Terri Klett Vaiden
Tommy Lewis
Ray Maddox **
George Mahlstedt **
Vinson Allen Martin
Carolyn McCaslan
Mickey McGuire
James McNair
Arthur "Tex" Melton *
Danny Miller **
Paul Wolfe fondly remembers Henrietta "Bubba."
Jack Milford
Phillip Moog **
Frank Wright Neal **
Kenneth Nix *
Billy Noles
Tom Oglesbee **
Andrea Ogletree
Jeanette Peterson Lanier *
Judith Rogers
Dennis Roundtree **
Dean Sack **
Harold Silver
Robert Jackson Smith
Charles J. Smith
Betty Sprouse **
Gerald Stanley
Frank Starnes **
Ronald Story *
Dorothy Ann Taylor Foster **
Ernest Thompson
Jenida Tullis Buie **
Robert Turner **
Archie Vaughn
Franklin Watkins
William Wier **
M. Comeria Whittle**
Thomas Whittle **
Larry Horace Williford
DeAnne Wiggins
A. Wayne Wingo *
Joe H Womack **
Norma Wright McDaniel **
Robert Horace Young **
Wallace Youngblood **

These names represent so many memories.
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Names in bold are new to the list.
Danny Miller
Comeria Whittle
Niki Johnston has added the name of Arthur "Tex" Melton
Paul Wolfe fondly remembers Henrietta "Bubba" Johnson
Madeline Register Bandy has found Robert Goetz which we need to verify.

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