Today is Monday April 30, 2010 and I am planning on attending my seventh Hillcrest Reunion this weekend. Yes, that is a lot of reunions, but I am here in SC and have had the responsibility of helping organize a few of them. When Linda Council was alive, she, Patti Wright Stubbs and I would plan the reunions for our class and later work with other class years to have multiple class reunions.
I do enjoy them as my HHS buds are some of my best friends for life. Our HS days were our growing days, both personality and physically. My first year at HHS was just learning the folks as I just transferred here from Newfoundland, Canada. I hung out with some of my older sister's friends like the Cox boys, Jerry and Bill. I still see them at reunions. My sophomore year was a breakout year for me. I was playing three sports ( sucked at football), joined some clubs, was active with my Holy Cross Episcopal church crowd and really became more social with the girls. My junior year was great as I was pres of the class and had the responsibility of raising money for the prom and putting it on.
In past reunions I have had fun seeing folks that I worked with on the prom.... Don Roberts, George Woodsby ( only one reunion!), Roland Alston, Marian Jackson Fowler, Mary Pam Gaylord, Connie Neal, Beth Ann Casey, Ernie Wilkes, Terry Crowell, Patti Wright, Linda Hankins, Bonnie Cole, Herman Ford, Linda Council, Liz Riddle, Sherry Artrip, Dot Way, Dave Shelton, Kris Shekitka, Barb Dunn, Chappie McCown, John McTamney and Adrianne Rockhill. My date that year for the prom was Kathy Harris and I think she will be at the 2012 reunion.
My senior year was a blast. I have continued to see folks from this year at the reunions. One great thing about these is that even though our class was small, I did not get to really know some folks. At the reunions, you get to renew friendships and learn about what you missed at school. I was always busy every afternoon my senior year as I was playing four sports and always had practice and then game nights. Much was going on while I was playing. Yes, I knew my sports buddies, but missed much playing around with friends after school. So, in the reunions I had found out other activities.
Some of the reunions I have linked up with my senior classmates like Anita MacLellan, Freddie Johnson, Pam Jackson, Susan Eckweiler, Ginny Fisher, Vic Cabas, Jean Byrd, Kathy Burrows, Kay Hooper, Nora Harris, Joyce Benenhaley, Charlie Stubbs, Clarence Strickland Gary Murphy, Rae Griffin and Molly Bush.
There are some folks I have never seen at reunions: Lou Ann Busselle, Louis Galvin, Mary Holsopple, Billy James, Don Wilson, Dot Way, Bruce Shelton, Glenda Schojdt, John Ryan, Mike Pearson, Chris Drnjavic, Rita Hatfield, Terre Volkmar, Joe Mazurick, Sylvester Smith,Mary Holsopple, Lana Jerden, Linda Matheson, Leo Abate, Ed Pearcy, Linda Mathis and Mike Pearson.
Now we have been in touch recently by email with Linda Matheson, Lou Anne Busselle, Lana Jerden, Bruce Shelton, Ed Pearcy, Louie Galvin, Frankie Skinner and John Ryan.
The folks that I can always count on attending are Don Roberts, Nancy Bradshaw and husband Rusty, Ernie Wilkes, Roland Alston, Bonnie Fisher, Marian Jackson, Linda Council ( while alive), Chappie McCown, Kay Hooper, Patty Wright Stubbs and husband Charlie.
Now if you are still reading, I hope those names raised a memory with you. It may be a class you were in with one of these folks, you dated one, went to church with one, road a bus or hung out at the bus stop, played a sport with one, fought one or made love to one! ( or wanted to)
Some folks do not like the reunions as their HHS days were not the best. I can understand this. Many of you were there for just a year or two and our folks were not hospitable. Personally, I wish I had time to date about 20 of you classmates of '66. I hated asking girls out. I hated being turned down or thinking that I was going to be turned down!!!
So we have a reunion May 3,4 and 5 2012 in Sumter and it looks like a very small crowd for '66. The reunion is for classes 60 - 66. I am not planning as it is mostly the class of '62 who are having their 50th and they have about 40 classmates and spouses coming. It still will be fun!
In 2016 we will have our 50th. I guess we should be planning for this one. Last year was our 45th and it was at the beach and I think only 4 showed up from our class. I did not make it. Now put this on your calendar and we will probably have it in September or October during a Homecoming weekend. Hillcrest is a Jr High School now and the new high school, about 15 miles away is Crestwood. Still... we will have a HHS reunion and with your help, it will be glorious!
My next blog will give some updates on our folks.
