GHS Alumni News: April 2013

Reminder that the next monthly, 4th Monday GHS ’70 Luncheon is at noon April 22 at Auburn’s Peking Buffet (@Grandstaff&SR8, 260.925.2746). Put this on your calendar now, and while you’re at it, fill out the year’s remaining 4^th Monday (not always the last Monday!) dates.

The March 25th luncheon was nice as usual. Turnout was damped by some inches of overnight snow, what a cold March, but we did have a “new” first-timer, Ken Rhodes, whom you see talking here with brother Mike on the left and Jim Burns on the right.

Reflections of the March GHS ’70 Class Luncheon at the Peking Buffet

If this looks a little strange, some of the discussion (not at all limited to these three)
was a little more philosophical than usual.

Unseen but very much present are Bob Bishop, Vicky Markley Bishop (sister in law to Bob), Dan and Cindy Hathaway Myers, Lauren Fike, Randy Brumbaugh, Steve Tullis, and myself. A relatively small gathering (11 instead of last month’s 18), but most stayed quite a while.

I did take a few other photos but unfortunately they did not turn out so well, so when You come, why don’t you take some photos as well?

About our Names

There was some interesting conversation about names. Ken is really Kenny, not Ken, and will show his birth certificate to prove it. Jim is really James, and is known to many by that name alone. Mike is really Michael, AKA Dusty and sometimes Vinny or Vincento (middle name Vincent). Bob Bishop is really Robert, though one friend insists he is a Bob Robert. And Lauren Fike received a letter addressing him as Ms Fike, due to the name’s recent popularity among women. I advised Laruen to enclose a photo when necessary.

Our names are often more complicated than some may imagine, including the parents who named us!

On May 28, 1952, my nineteen and twenty year old parents named me Stephen Allan Rowe.

But what did they then know of me today, sixty years later? I didn’t even know myself at eighteen or twenty-one …

So begins a short but photo-laden and evocative reflection I wrote last October, though I did not mention it at the luncheon. If you are a reflective type, then you might be interested in that blog post: just click on What Does Your Name Signify?

People

It was good to see Kenny Rhodes (his first time), and also Vicki Markley Bishop (her second time, and apologies, Vicki, for having botched your photo) – hope you both continue to come. In addition to these 2, I count roughly 10 who almost always come, 7 who come quite often, and 9 who come once in a while. That makes about 28 different people you might expect to see, depending on the month, and the list is sure to keep growing for some time.

Finally, before leaving March25 entirely, I should probably point out that Kenny Rhodes looks a little odd in the photographic composition above. It’s just that he sat directly across from me, and when I juxtaposed photos of him talking with Michael and James …

… Well you can see what happened ... And there was so much background clutter … I just felt that the quality of everyone’s interaction (not just these 3) was better revealed as presented above.

Final Round of New High School Photos

The January through March newsletters featured 15 photos and 1,755 words (thank you Microsoft Word for the word count feature) related to the new high school. Given that one picture is worth a thousand words, I figure that makes 16,755 words of information already communicated on this project. Still, a few more words must be said …

First, note Gery Barry’s place on the Distinguished Alumni Hall of Honor between Hudson Freeze (GHS ’64) and Mark Michael (GHS ’73). I can’t make out the words in this photo, but Gery was a good friend and I am proud of him, along with Dan Yarde (whose induction into the Athletic Wall of Fame was covered last month).

Honestly, I have to say I am proud of the class as a whole. Throughout the nine 4^th Monday luncheons to date, it has been so gratifying to observe the maturity we have all come to, and the good will and even grace with which we treat each other. What a truly wonderful group of people …

And You: If you are near and unoccupied but have not yet found your way to our monthly gathering, please come soon; or if you are still working or afar, I hope your day will come before too long.

Here you see Garrett’s 3-D printer, used in the pre-engineering curriculum.

It eats CAD (computer assisted design) data, and spits out 3-dimensional plastic prototypes.

Technology of this sort will be of evermore significance in the years to come, and it is remarkable that Garrett is not only up to speed, but ahead of the curve regionally in this regard.

The teacher standing here is George Wilmore, Mary Krocker (GHS ’71) Wilmore’s husband.

Even the urinals glisten at GHS these days!

So different from my memories …

I especially remember the graffiti in the stalls …

Which brings us to …

Lessons the Teacher Never Taught You

Circa 1966, thinking 8^th grade but maybe later, reading a graffiti physics lesson etched into the old paint of a school bathroom stall:

Heat of the Meat X Mass of the Ass = Angle of the Dangle

Detail from “Nymphs and Satyr,” 1873
By Adolpho-William Bouguerreau

Analysis by unknown GHS student, circa 1966

I’ve often wondered what GHS genius imagined this astonishing equation? Or if not a genius, then at least someone possessed of far more esoteric knowledge than I at the time …

Someone we can never know with certainty, as surely more than one lesser mind would happily steal the credit!

I loved math and science at the time ... is that why I thought it was so funny and remembered it so well?

Something else I'll never know - how many others appreciated it as much as I did?

I doubt that Lessons the Teacher Never Taught You will become a regular feature, but if this lesson doesn’t occasion too much indignation, there might be an encore.

July 3^rd/4^th Garrett Heritage Days Walk/Run +Plus Getting Closer!

We’re down to just 10 weeks and 3 days between the April 22 luncheon and the annual Garrett July3rd/4th Heritage Days events, which include:

July 3:

Parade/Pet Parade (July 3) @ 6:00 pm

Spike and the Bulldogs @ 8:00 pm

July 4:

Pancake Breakfast (Jul 4) @ 7:00-11:00 am

2 mile walk or 5k (3.1 mile) run @ 9:00

Cathy Ann Dance Studio @ 9:00

Turning Pointe Dance Academy @ 10:00

Sidewalk Chalk Art @ 9:00–3:00

Old car Cruise-Inn

Patricia Krus School of Dance @ 11:00

Chicken BBQ @ 11:30 – 2:00

Talent Show @ 1:00

Pie and Cookie Baking Auction @ 3:00

Pageant @ 5:00-8:30

Fireworks @ 10:00

For even more, click the link above.

For those now living outside the Garrett Zone, Spike’s band, always a big draw, is probably THE region’s favorite 50’s / 60’s cover band, and presently includes Garrett’s own Bob Zmysloni (GHS '69) and Wayne Neukom (GHS '69 – WAY better now than your memories of their high school band days!

The Pancake Breakfast cost is a donation, the old car Cruise-In is free, and the pre-registration walk/run cost has been just $5 for many years (which includes a free Garrett July 4th walk/run t-shirt), thanks to the Garrett State Bank’s sponsorship - so it’s relatively easy to bring children and grandchildren to walk and/or run with you, should you and they be inclined. To download the pre-registration mail-in form,click on this link.

I’ve always seen a number of friends there from various classes, and had a great time.

In the meantime, it is within our power to make 2013 the best-by-far turnout yet:

· Commit now to share that morning with friends and community. Put it on your calendar today.

· Declare your interest to friends (whatever their class or age) personally, through email, on Facebook, etc; and if you really want to impress someone, text their phone (though personally, I am a bona-fide Geezer, and can’t understand why anyone would prefer text to voice).

Spread the word about these multiple events - lots to take in whether or not you walk or run, lots of people you may see.

Finally, do not confuse these July 3-4 Garrett Heritage Days with the July 19-20 Garrett Schools Alumni Days:

The Garrett Schools Alumni Days include a Golf Outing and a morning Walk Around the Town on Friday (July 19); and on Saturday, Tours of and a Noon Luncheon at the new High School, and the nine to midnight All-Classes Open House at the American Legion (always jam-packed and now smoke-free). Not to mention the many class reunions going on everywhere Friday and Saturday.

For more information, click on the link above, and/or send an email to GarrettAlumni@yahoo.com to receive that committee’s eight page newsletter once it is completed.

Reach out! Participate! Share! Be Friendly! Be Happy!

Another GHS ’70 Profile/Perspective:

Doris Jarnigan Sleek

So many memories flood my mind as I think about growing up in Garrett and what to share with my classmates. Many of you have known me forever, to others I am totally unfamiliar. With that being said, let me share just a little about myself. I spent most of my life in Garrett and was raised by my Grandparents, so I was brought up on the ‘old’ values and have never regretted it. I was more reserved, certainly naïve to movement of the late sixties and early seventies. I loved going to the Gala theatre and watching the double features, roller skating, dancing, going to the school plays and summers at the pool. I loved being with people where I could just be me and not feel that I had to try to ‘fit’ in or prove myself.

I left school the end of my sophomore year to marry the ‘love of my life’, Gary Jarnagin, who was a senior, May 25^th 1968. We welcomed our first son in April 1969 and completed our family with our second son in March 1973. We will celebrate our 45^th wedding anniversary in May.

Life has taken us many of places due to the automotive industry and my husband’s trade as a Manufacturing Engineer, moving us from Auburn in 1999 to Georgia, Ohio, North Carolina, and back to our present home in Indianapolis, IN (my degree is in Business Management and I ‘ve worked the last 14 year in the mortgage industry). I have had the opportunity to go on missionary trips to Mexico, and spend two blissful weeks in Sydney Australia.

But, my heart and memories still lie in Garrett. How I love going ‘home’ and hearing the trains roll through and even though the downtown area has changed, I know the library is still there and a former classmate of my husband’s is one of the librarians (Linda Ashenfelter Snodderly). I remember all the stores that were in town and can still see Theresa Koehl working in the Boston Store. Do you remember riding your bicycles behind the fogger? Imagine what they would say today! There is always the DeKalb County Free Fall Fair, oh the memories of the Saturday parades and the school bands. Remember the majorettes and how the bands from Ohio would attend? The parade would take hours to see and was so exciting to see! Oh, and the Friday night walks through the cattle barns with my Grandfather and later with Grandpa, my husband and sons.

Yes, I am nostalgic and hold my memories close to my heart. We can’t go back and experience the days-gone-by in any other way. Many of you are in those memories as classmates and friends who have touched my life. Many I just met at the 40^th class reunion, and you also I call my friends.

Though time , past and distance may have came between many of us, if you see me and I don’t recognize you, give me a shout…….I probably don’t recognize you with the passage of time or old age is playing tricks with the vision! In all seriousness, I feel truly blessed to be a part of this small town and to have share with all of you in the Class of 70!

Thank you Doris for sharing your life, memories, and photos ... And what a beautiful bride!

Next Month’s GHS ’70 Profile/Perspective … Guess Who?

Throughout these newsletters, the theme has been “We all grew up together in the Sixties … And now that we have arrived in our 60s, it is indeed time we got to know each other better!”

In order to make this a reality, we must be willing to Reach Out, Participate, and Share!

The cute little girl in the left window is Doris Sleek, whose profile/perspective you read above … Can you guess whose profile/perspective will appear next month?

We all grew up together in the Sixties …

And now that we have arrived in our 60s …

It is indeed time we got to know each other better!

In Memoriam (alphabetical order, not sure of dates)

Calvary Cemetery

Angie Muzzillo

Ben Hatton

Bob Pickleseimer

Chuck Bergner

Dolan Boyd

Ed Schlotterback

John Yarian

Christian Union Cemetery

Patricia Snook

Peggy Chisholm

Randy Haffner

Rick Hyde

Sue Kirkpatrick

Calvary Cemetery and Christian Union Cemetery are the two Garrett cemeteries I know best. (Are there others?) Certainly not all Garrett natives are buried here, but still, driving by I always reflect, if just for a moment, on the many generations that made Garrett what is was and is. And when I do take time to stroll through them, I am always moved: so many Garrett names, so much we shared, whether or not we ever met, just having lived in the same place.

Rest in Peace

You are Remembered

$5.98 with tax for the buffet if you have water …

In Closing …

An ice cream toast …

I discovered a soup bowl works

better than the smaller desert bowl.

That’s just about all for now, except please help spread the word: share this email and help get other classmates “signed up.” Anyone wanting to be added directly to the distribution need only email or call me [voice, not text – my phone options are set to not receive text, even though the text may seem to go through] at 630.251.6931, and I will add them. And please share your newsletter with classmates not using email – perhaps print off a hard copy to pass along to a friend?

If you want to share class news, photos, etc, just send it electronically (or call or write). The idea is to make these bulletins interesting whether or not you want to or are able to attend the luncheons. You all out there know a lot more about what is going on than me, myself, and I, so be assured that your input will be welcome!

Especially let me know if you would like to write your GHS ’70 Profile. If you are Cyber-challenged, even if you don’t use a computer, I can help you get it done - just email me, or send a letter to PO Box 670, Fremont, IN 46737, or give me a call at 630.251.6931.

Reach Out! Participate! Share!

To date 63 classmates have attended one or more luncheons, and/or receive direct email distribution of the newsletter. In alphabetical order:

Alice Runion Jones, Arni Placencia , Barbara Tustison Smith , Bill Fetter , Bob Bishop , Brian Custer , Bob Woodward , Carolyn Myers Kowal , Cindy Hathaway Myers , Cindy Nodine DeWitt , Clyde Handshoe , Dan Myers , Dan Yarde , Dave Ashenfelter , Dave Kobiella , Delana Runion Kantzer , Don Campbell , Doris Sleek Jarnigan , Doug Smith , Gary Fike , Gery Barry , Greg Weller , Hal Hippensteel , Jack Clark , Jama Payton Campbell , Jeanne Hockaday McNeal , Jim Burns , John Jinnings , Karen Freeze Stoltz , Karl Kearns , Kathy Creager VanAllen , Kenny Rhodes, Lauren Fike , Lisa Englehard Murphy , Lucy Curtis Cumston , Marisa Kennedy , Mary Yoder Weeks , Mike Barcus , Mike Rhodes , Nancy McKee Ireland , Pat Casey , Paula Johnston Fike , Paulette Swank Kobiella , Penny Evans Wolf , Phil Wheeler , Randy Brumbaugh , Randy Thomas , Rick Elder , Ron Gall , Sandy Wilmot Wise , Sarah Haynes Sweitzer , Sharon Heitz , Stephen Rowe , Steve Treesh , Steve Tullis , Sue Rhetts Miller , Teresa Koehl Thorne , Tom Refner , Tony Janueski , Trudy Watson Boyd , Vicki Markley Bishop , Vicki Miller Hodge , Wayne Smith