Pictures are up!

All of you should have received an email with a link to pictures of the reunion on my Picasa site. If you took pictures (or movies!) at the reunion, please add them to the album, or make one of your own and share it with us.

I can't begin to express how happy I was to see everyone - the reunion was so much fun.

If I've made mistakes, please add comments to the pictures to correct them.

We really missed all of you who weren't able to make it - we hope you enjoy the pictures!

(And Charlie, don't panic - as soon as I get the original picture file from Carolyn Baker, I'll PhotoShop you in!!)

It just isn't my destiny to see my childhood friends

I regret to let you, my classmates, know that after a year of looking forward to seeing everyone again -- the fickle finger of fate has pointed at Hal and I again. Hal had to have artery surgery rather unexpectly the first of September. We thought it would be no big, big deal, and he would be ready for travel long before the reunion. Unfortunately, he contracted an infection and had to have his belly opened three weeks after surgery -- he is finally home from the hospital -- but he is attached to a wound pump, and I am giving him intravenous antibiotics daily as well. He feels well enough to come to Russellville, but the doctor prefers he stay in NC until he is through with treatment. We are both very disappointed with this turn of events, since we were looking forward to seeing everyone. Incidentally, the last reunion a similar thing happened-- so I guess it is not my destiny to get back home and relive the happy years I spent in Russellville.

Hope everyone has a great time and we will be thinking of you. Best regards to all --
Shirley Kirby Wood

...still scanning

I'm still scanning old pictures and have added some new ones to albums already posted. I think I'm coming to the end of the road, and you guys now have access to everything I have. But I AM the OCD Queen, so if I come across more, I won't be able to stop myself from scanning them. Just a friendly warning.

Here are all the links in one place:

For our graduation announcement, click HERE.

For a variety of class pictures, click HERE.

For more class pictures (probably some repeats...), click HERE.

For our commencement program, click HERE.

For girls playing in the snow at Cathy Carver's house, click HERE.

For the Junior High school girls' and boys' choruses, click HERE.

For Cathy Carver's (really Hazel's) senior scrapbook, click HERE.

For pictures from our 10th Reunion in Bowling Green, click HERE.

For our kindergarten pictures, click HERE.

For our formal graduation portrait and more recent snapshots of me with Carolyn Wilson Mallory and Pat Pepper Boleware (I'm not claiming organization is my strong point...), click HERE.

And for our yearbook photos, click HERE.

For RHS 1969 Misc. Snapshots (includes some senior trip pix), click HERE.

Jim Dodson makes a Fast Getaway!

Jim sent this tonight - take a listen, these guys are good!! I'm all ready to sing along with Mustang Sally...."ride, Sally, ride..." They'll be playing for us from 8 to 11. If you haven't already made your plans to attend the reunion, this should get you moving. Send your check and registration information to Sharon Blackwell Kirkpatrick and don't miss out!

From Jim....
We finally got our website up and running. It is www.fastgetawayband.com. There are photos, a playlist, scheduled events, 3 recordings of songs we do, and bios of hopefully everyone as soon as the rest of them get their rear ends in gear. 3 out of 6 so far is not very bad. Most of you probably remember Jimmie Warden, who played drums in the Monarchs for years.

Article from Pat Pepper Boleware

Pat came across this article in the Knoxville News Sentinel and clipped it out. Wow. We really were part of the cutting edge generation. I mean, just Sesame Street alone...!!

Don't you wish you'd had the money to buy a home that year!

Just click on the picture to enlarge the image so you can read it.

Or, you can find it HERE.

More pictures

I'm scanning them as I come to them, guys. Pat Pepper Boleware says I'm very brave, but I think I'm finally old enough to risk the ridicule. =)

For pictures of Russellville Junior High Choruses, Spring 1965, click HERE.

For pictures of some of the girls playing in the snow at my house, I'm guessing maybe spring of 1965, click HERE.

A hodgepodge of individual class photos - of the type we traded with one another. I was unsure of years. I'll edit them if you can identify the years for me. Click HERE to see them.

And to see our commencement program, click HERE.

Sorry the quality isn't better, but between the age of the pictures, the original quality, and putting them through a scanner, they suffer.

I'll add more as I find them.

By the way, if any of you have pictures you want to share, feel free. If you'd prefer for me to post them, just email them to me and I'll get them up.

Senior Scrapbook

Okay, everybody. I'm posting this thing, but you can't laugh. Right. Well, the thing is, this scrapbook was compiled by my mother, Hazel Carver. Those of you who knew her well, will see her handiwork all over the place. LOTS of tape, and LOTS of embarrassing clippings concerning me. Luckily, she didn't include a newspaper article singing my praises when I was potty-trained. Don't know how she missed that one.

So, apologies aside - it's a LOT of stuff to wade through, but I had forgotten a huge percentage of it and thought you guys might enjoy cruising through it. And you have the advantage of doing it without exposure to dust mites and mold!!

To view it, click HERE.

Hey. Did I just hear someone snickering?

Oh no! Chin tucks!

So, my doc sent me to see the torture specialists at our local physical therapy gym because I've been having problems with my neck and one shoulder. First day, this therapist (you know the one - mid-twenties) sits me down in front of a mirror (!) and asks me to do chin tucks. Oh dear.
So I've started my diet in earnest. But if things don't work out, you'll be able to recognize me at the reunion. I'll be the one in a full-body paper bag. =)

Southwest Airline Sale

No, I don't work for Southwest Airlines. (Wish I did - then I'd fly free!) I received an email this morning - they are having a sale for the next 48 hours. I thought I'd pass along the link for those of us who have a long journey to make it home to the reunion. Prices from El Paso to Nashville (my flight) look pretty good.

To find the Southwest page, click here.

One for the girls

If you're an old Nancy Drew fan, you might enjoy this book. My next-door-neighbor in Las Cruces loaned it to me for a vacation read, and I'm getting a kick out of it. Lots of information about the syndicate that created it and the women (and man!) who actually wrote the books. Alas, there is no Carolyn Keene! The name was a pseudonym used by the authors, sworn to secrecy by the syndicate. They received between $85-$125 per book. No residuals.

Thanks from Cathy...

...for all your sweet words, condolences and shared memories of my mother, Hazel Carver. She would have been very pleased, and my brother, sister and I were touched by your kindness. We're fortunate to have such good friends.

I have just spoken to Cathy and the following are arrangements for her mother's funeral.
Visitation will be Monday, June 1 at Young Funeral Home 1600 Nashville Road Russellville, KY from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The funeral will be held at First Baptist Church in Russellville on Tuesday, June 2 at 2 p.m.
There will be visitation at the church from 12 noon until 2 p.m. before the funeral.

If you wish to make a donation in Mrs. Carver's memory the family has requested you make those to: First Baptist Church of Russellville or
The deGraffenreid Chorale-P.O. Box 733 Russellville, KY 42276

Again please keep them in your prayers.

Hello everyone-I wanted to let you all know that Hazel Carver, Cathy's mother, passed away yesterday, May 28. Cathy and her sister, Jean, are in the process of making arrangements now. As soon as I know what the arrangements are I will let everyone know.
Hazel was 91 years young! Please remember them in your prayers.

Any walkers out there?

I'm thinking it might be fun to have an informal early morning walk while we're in Russellville. I'm not sure at this point what dates I'll be in town, but I'm proposing that anyone who would like to walk (maybe about 2+ miles, moderately paced) could meet at the stadium, say around 7 a.m. I'd be up for doing this all the days I'm there. We could vary the route each day.

Give us a chance to see what's new in town - maybe some of you locals could explain to us out-of-towners what we're looking at.

Any takers?

Who are you?

Okay, everyone. Sign in. Click on your own name under the Contributors List (on the left-side of the blog). Then click on "Edit Profile." Add a current picture. (Don't know how? Don't be shy, ask your kids or grandkids, they'll talk you through it!) Tell us something about yourself. I'm betting some things have changed since high school.

- How do you like to spend your spare time? What do you do (or what did you do if you're retired) for a living? How many children do you have? Grandchildren? No children? How about pets?
- Done any kind of interesting travel? (No, the trip to the dump doesn't count, unless you saw Big Foot on the way....)
- Anything funny happen to you along life's road?
- Anything that changed the way you think?
- What do you read? What do you watch? What do you listen to?

Tell us as much as you like - but you know we're all clicking on each other's profiles, wondering what we've been doing all this time. Come on, you've done it yourself, you know you have.
And think of the conversation starters these profiles will provide once we finally get to see one another in October.

Cough it up, guys.

All but three!

We were able to find Joan Anderson yesterday (with the help of June Poor O'Leary - thanks, June!), so that only leaves three people we have no information on at all - Carolyn Armstrong, Peter Cox, and Jo Ann Williams. If you know of anyone who might know where to find them, please let us know.

By the way, Joan is still in Florida - and is hoping to make it to the reunion. Yay!

Riddle Answer

Time to end the suspense...

These were the words Mrs. Linton required us to know before we were allowed to have our very first reader - which I believe was the first book of the Alice and Jerry Reading Program. (Click here for more about those books.) As I recall, she had them displayed on an easel and we were required to identify the words quickly as she used a pointer to jump around between them. I remember being very happy when I finally "passed." And I vaguely recall that one of those words consistently hung me up, but couldn't tell you which one it was now.

So. I remember that. But I spent an hour trying to find my glasses yesterday. Isn't the human brain a strange and wonderful thing?

Riddle

(Above is another hint...)

Thanks to Frances Pate Snavely, I have this long forgotten list. Do any of you know its significance?

come look and see the here go ride my down up one two three can

Senior Class Photo Washington, DC

One of the pictures I found while in Russellville. My, we were a sharp looking bunch!

Kindergarten Graduation

I spent some time at Carolyn Wilson Mallory's home this past week and had the opportunity to scan some old pictures. This is the Kindergarten graduation picture from May 1957. As you can see, there are quite a few of us who attended school together from kindergarten through high school graduation. (Many, many, many extra points if you can name everyone in this photo. Or even half!)

I've posted the other pictures as new slide shows on the Reunion site (http://sites.google.com/site/rhs69reunionoct09) so please check them out!

If you've been digging around in those old boxes and have found some pictures of your own that you'd be willing to share, please post them or email them to me and I'll be happy to add them to the slide shows.