Lost But Never Forgotten Classmates

Everyone has one high school friend that they really would like to see.

For me it's people like Larry Visos. We used to lie on our backs in his back yard watching clouds go by on 100 degree days in 100 percent humidity drinking orange soda. I haven't seen him in over 40 years. I tried to track him this reunion, but I only got as far as Washington DC. He is, or was a US postal inspector, but that's as far as I got.

Tom Jarvis, Mr. Madras, is another guy I would really like to see again too. He was always there with a quick smile and had pretty good sense of humor. After our 20th reunion there were rumors of Tom was in San Francisco, running the famous trolley. Tom are you still around and kicking?

But the most mysterious guy for me is Scott Geiger. President of the January class, co-captain of our football team and my freshman college roommate at Mizzou. Scott has been MI from our reunions for 40 years, no Christmas cards, no phone calls, no photos....up until now.

I do know that after graduation Scott went into the Marine Corps and maybe that was a turning point. Over the years I have met people and made new friends who prefer to live their lives in the present and want to leave the past alone. No looking back.


I get that. And I respect his decision to not participate with things like reunions. But all the same, I would like to see and talk with him. If I pissed him off (I could have in college) it's understandable I guess, but that still leaves 140 other classmates that I know didn't piss him off..............

So, you can imagine how happy when I got the following email from Debbie and Scott! For all of you who wanted to know what Scott and Debbiepulsationsne) are doing read on.

Hello, Dennis,

I think that I am pretty lucky. I still have all my body parts and hair -- not a bad deal as old as we are getting. The back and legs do not have the get up and go but all in all -- still going.

I work for a gas appliance distributor -- heating and A/C, gas logs, commercial heaters... Debbie is a kindergarten teacher -- Teacher of Year four or five times including this year. She has been for 30 years except for 11 years when she stayed home with the children. She was what she was put on earth to do.

We have two children. A daughter who is 30 years old and living in St. Petersburg, Florida. She got married on a cruise last year. A good time was had by all the family and friends. She is expecting our first grandchild any time now. Our son is 25 years old and living in Charleston, South Carolina. He works for a golf course/resort developer and loves life - good job, lots of friends and the beach.

At this point in time, I do not even know how to spell retirement! We hope to start a company involved with a new personal water craft -- new products are a slow painful process.

Actually, life could not be better. We live on a lake with 1 1/2 acres. We have made it into what we call our park -- spend most of our timpiddlingng around the yard and glad we still can. Every evening we take the dog for a boat ride in our little johnboat with a 10 H.P. motor. We do not pass too many boats, but who wants to. We have been very fortunate and are very grateful.

We still love to dance. Beach music/shagging is everywhere. But here beach music means Motown and 60's and 70's. Shagging is our dancing from the 60's. All the small towns around Charlotte bring in bands for Alive After Five and various street festivals. We eat too much and dance the night away.

We still help out at the high school booster club during football games. We are Mr. & Mrs. French Fries King and Queen!!! The kids go through about 400 lbs. of french fries per game. Concerts in the Park, exercise, friends who have become family after 30+ years fill our lives with laughter and memories of the kids growing up.

I hope everyone is doing well and that you all have a GREAT time at the get-together. We will be thinking about all of you. Attached is a picture taken during one of our visits to Charleston this year.

Tell everyone hi for us,

Scott and Debbie

For the record, I am really glad to hear from Scott and Debbie. I may never hear from them again after publishing this, but I have to tell you that it's sort of comforting to know that if you get pushy enough you can get a response from even the most reclusive of our classmates. I won't publish their email address since that would be an invasion of their privacy.

To that end, we do have email addresses of our classmates that responded to the reunion mailing. It 's not up to me, but I think those addresses can be available through the Southwest Reunion Committee. If in the meantime you see a name on the blog that you want to get in touch with, drop us an email and we will share it with you.

I know what you're saying "What if an x-wife or x-husband, a pregnant 16 year old, a process server, or worse yet a bill collector asks for your email address?

OK, Maybe it's not a good idea to share email addresses, so, if you do get an email that you don't want to respond to you can always say that it got caught in your spam guard, or your kids deleted it or your cat hit the delete button just as you were going to respond amd you will never hear from them again.

Keep those comments and emails coming. It makes writing this blog worthwhile.

Dennis Hayashi

The Attendance list as of July 17, 2006

Even though the cut off date for attending the Southwest High School 40th Class Reunion was June 1, you may be able to beg Joyce and Sue for a spot. Things are shaping up nicely and yes, many of us are getting pumped up, stoked, psyched, or jazzed about seeing old classmates.

I’ve had a chance to see Jeff McClellan and Doug Nuelle in just the past three months, all as part of the reunion communications. Yes we all change, and yet there are parts of our personalities that just don’t change at all. If I close my eyes I hear the same voice with the same inflection, the same “attitude”, the same sense of humor and it rekindles memories of great friendships.

A crossing guard at Dewey school once told me that when you get older you’re really lucky if you have one or two good friends. I’ve been extraordinarily lucky in that I have been able to keep in touch with quite a few grade school and high school friends, but I’d like to see about growing that list in about four weeks from now.

So, for those of you who would like to know who is coming and committed the money to confirm their place here’s the list. If you see someone whose name is missing or you don’t see your name that just means I’m working from an old list… which is possible.

But don’t fret, there is still some time, I think….

January

Arbeiter Davis, Paula & Jack
Arnold, Gary & Carolyn Milcic Arnold
Bippen Schoeneberg, Linda
Ciampoli, Robert & Carol Wall
Daman Finck, Judy & Bob
Dembeck, David & Sarah
Fannon, David & Sarah
Flores, Dennis & Darlene
Forst, Terry
Garavaglia, Wayne
Graf Lohmann, Kathy
Hayashi, Dennis & Lisa
Hirsh, Craig & Jean
Hrin, McGivney, Joan & Jim
Ketten, Darlene
Kozak, Stefan & Natalia
Luchan, Karen
Luther, Michael
Lynch Day, Sue & Andy
McLellan, Jeffrey & Judith
Miller Heddell, Cheryl & John
Nuelle, Douglas & Tonya
Parker, Dan & Kelly
Plag, Henry & Lahna Carlson-Plag
Raney, Douglas & Carol
Scherzer Shimamoto, Joyce & David
Schmidt, Robert & Malinda Moses Schmidt
Scott, Charles & Denny
Shaw, David & Rose
Skaggs McBride, Janet
Skaggs Greer, Joyce & Tommy
Stevenson, Fred & Pam
Tanner Close, Carla & Glen
West Wallis, Pat & Gale
Zilm, Frank & Peggy
Zotos Fakonas, Christine

June

Adams, Davis, Diana & Jack
Ax Harf, Jane & Marie Harf
Becker, Roy
Bloom, Lackland
Boneau Droege, Sherry & James
Bololak, Pat
Borcherding, Gary & Ginny
Brunkhorst, Stephen & Maggie
Boyd, Vivian
Bubash, David
Calloni, Ben
Chapleau, Brian & Linda
Chouquette Woolf, Gayle & Jim
Colvis, Steven & Connie
Cortivo Klein, Judy
Damore Washam, Rita
DeVeydt, Richard & Karen
Diesing Cooper, Linda & Barb Cooper
Drier, JoAnn
Economon, James
Edinger, Don
Fannon Kraiberg, Linda
Fazio, Mike & Cathy
Fleming Rigdon, Sandra
Folluo Goldak, Suzanne
Frank, Don & Diane
Galloway, Lou
Gorsuch, Childers, Pat
Gottl, Ron
Graham Winans, Beverly & Robert Hansee
Greenway Courtney, Judie
Harper, Charles & Linda
Heberer Niehoff, Janice & Gregory
Heineman, Charles & Margaret
Henke Mattson, Carla & Jim
Jackson, Linda
Jacobson Muschany, Nancy & Roy
Jacques Merle, Anne
Kamp, Chester & Joie
Kelley, Dan & Paige
Knapp Weinhold, Carol
Kuhl, Robert & Carol
Laidlow Miller, Linda & Sandy Laidlow Erxleben
Linberg, Nicholas & Pam
Mason, Jay & Chris
McDonagh Hunt, Geri
Miano, Ron & Cyndi
Miller, Frank
Mueller, Marlin & Janet
Nagel Wallace, Linda
Nelson Szydlowski, Brenda
Nichols Albertsmeier, Sandy
Parisotto Disabato, Karen
Pilliard Bickel, Linda & Michael
Prenavo Bowles, Trudy & Steve
Purvis, Alan & Barb
Rice Townsend, Phyllis
Richardson, Brian & Tracy Seamles
Roberts Palazzolo, Nancy & Joan Roberts Degregorio
Rogger, Bob
Rosenberg Sooter, Marty & Paul
Roy Pedretti, Sharon
Rumbolo, Joe
Schaefer, Richard & Bev Kerr Schaefer
Schawacher, Richard & Mary
Schoebeck Cole, Carol & Bill
Schoenberg, Otto & Patti
Schriefer, Jim & Rosemary
Sehl Williams, Marlene
Snider Voth, Linda
Spitler Daley, Barbara
Stratton Hill, Julie & David
Tamme, Michael & Kathleen
Tartucchio, Elvio
Tash, Gary & Sharon
Tobey, Susan
Voyard Boyd, Vivian
Wagner Stufflebam, Winifred
Watts, Willard & Vicky
Weissflug, Ken & Debbie
West, Jim
Weyand Brazell, Gloria
Wilburn Crabaugh Tricia & Bill
Williams, Jim & Melody
Winkler, Henry & Patricia

Teachers

Sid Tucker & Mary Jo
Kathleen Kinderfather


One of the things I promised myself that I was going to do is to make a list of friends I must see like all the gang from Dog Town. In fact, I want to get a group shot of all of the Dog Town guys and gals for the Dog Town Web site.

Then there's the members of the traveling Safari band, Dave Shaw, Bob Rogger and where is Ted Markland when you need him?

Members of the old football, basketball, and track, and my old chemestry lab partners and home room buddies.

You know who you are and yes bring your digital camera's. There may even be a professional photograher for decent group shots that we can purchase photo's from!

Greetings from Evelyn Fuqua

Dear Friends,

Sorry I will not be able to attend the reunion.

Would love to see and talk to some of you and see what you have been doing for the past 40 years. Attached is a picture of my husband and I that was taken last week while we were on a cruise to the Bahamas. It was a combination vacation/mission trip.

We visited the Houme Rock Primary School while in Freeport and led a special program for the children. We delivered school supplies to them from our local Rotary Club and my husband who is a minister spoke to the children. Since the Bahamas is a Christian nation, as declared in their constitution, the message of Jesus Christ is welcomed.

Our group led the children in some enthusiastic songs and gave each child a gift. As always it was interesting to see what is going on in another culture. It also helps one realize how blessed we are here in the U.S.

Would love to hear from some of you.

Evelyn Fuqua Andrews
brotherpat@bellsouth.net

Thank you Evelyn for keeping in touch.

I hope the reunion blog helps you reconnect with some of your old high school friends. So much time has passed, yet it really only seems like yesterday that we were worried about what we were going to do with the rest of our lives. Well, we are about half way through our lives and by all appearances, you’ve done a great job.

Let us know if any of us can help you with your missionary work. God bless you and your husband Father Pat, and God bless America.

To find out who provided email addresses be sure to contact the committee. There will be a list published of all those who responded to our invitation, even if they could not attend.

Keep those letters, photo’s coming and we will post them.

Dennis Hayashi
dennis@mediaop.com