Class of 1958 – Reunion Notes
Due to a tremendous effort on the part of Ann Tucker Royal, Nell Johnston Martin and a wonderful reunion crew, the class of 1958 hosted a hugely successful reunion in June. Class of ‘58 graduate George Bristol generously shared his thoughts about the gathering:
In 1958 few of our parents were 50 and were sometimes old fuddy-duddies who spurned Elvis, Chuck Berry, ducktails and beer.
Ten years later, America was caught up in Janis Joplin, flower children, drugs, Vietnam, the deaths of Kennedys and King and our teenage years looked tranquil and idyllic. Our parents were beginning to gain the attributes of “The Greatest Generation.”
Now 50 years later, most of our parents are gone and our children have gone away to their own lives. So on June 20 and 21, 2008, when the AHS class of ’58 met in reunion, those years, even with the historic sea change of integration (a non-violent event in Austin), look beautifully peaceful, fulfilling: a once in a lifetime opportunity to grow and flourish in a moment in between.
With the solid grounding of that era, we went out and became, for the most part, solid citizens. We weathered the turbulent ‘60s and Watergate ‘70s. We educated our own children. We served community, church and country. A couple served time. We were as varied as any group of 500 individuals could be: lawyers, doctors, merchants, teachers, politicians, bureaucrats, bankers and homemakers. Yet we retained an enriching sameness which is far different than conformity.
Thus at Scholz’s Beer Garten and the Hyatt Hotel, classmates gathered as they had every 10 years in the past to once again share in the variety of lives anchored in a time that was unique and uniting. (I mention this because I am amazed how many people I have met over the years who never go to class reunions or went to schools that hold no reunions.)
But this time there were differences.
Because it was the 50th, a number of classmates came for the first time or after long absences. Because it was the 50th, some came lame or infirmed. Because it was the 50th, most were changed: more aged and recognizable only by name tags and class photos. Because it was the 50th, more did not come and never will again. Some have been gone a long time. But for those that did come, after a reassuring hug or handshake and a beer, the ravages of age fell away and standing there were young men and women, talking and laughing about old feats of sports, scholarship, loves and loves lost. Photographs of children and grandchildren were shown all around and hundreds of new photos were snapped on digital cameras that were not even available 10 years ago.
Verne Lundquist of CBS Sports fame was Master of Ceremony on Saturday night. He pointed out how many had gotten married in high school or shortly thereafter and surprisingly stayed married. He also pointed out that after 55 years of friendship and being homeroom buddies, Gretchen Becker Denny and I got married last year. Ann Tucker Royal, Nell Johnston Martin and Nancy Kelly Anderson made the class directory and name tags work, miraculously. Bruce Knierim hustled about making sure all aspects of the Hyatt service flowed on time. Amor and Susie Shanks Forwood drummed up support for the auction to benefit the AHS Foundation. Old sports friends, like Walter Dollar and Manuel Estrada, and others gathered around Bobby Nunis who has Lou Gehrig’s disease to wish him well. With high good humor and that competitive spirit he demonstrated when he fought off tacklers, we know he’ll fight.
In between visiting, we danced, more slowly now, to ‘50s tunes, ate, raised a glass or two, took a class photograph and went home, back to our separate lives, but with strong urgings of many to make a 55th happen. Why? Because as time runs out, it is a great joy to gather with friends that have now spanned most of a lifetime and Loyal Forever has more meaning than an old school slogan.