It is so much fun to spend time with some people you saw maybe a few days ago and some you might not have seen for many years.
My wonderful wife, Lyn, attended with me, knowing full well that she might know only three people. The first person we saw was Kathleen Hash, my great friend and former school bus rider on the bus that I drove at Edgewood. She was with her husband and her brother and his wife. I became reacquainted with Kathleen through Facebook a few years ago. She and her brother lived in Rosedale Hills as children.
Lisa McDaniel Roberts was also in attendance. She and her family lived on my route. Her father, Chauncey McDaniel, taught and coached at Southport High for many years. Lisa asked me if I remembered stopping to let her out of the bus directly in front of a large water puddle. My first thought was, “Letting Chauncey’s daughter out in front of a water puddle, NO WAY! It much have been Vic Blankenship.”
Our table was well represented by the Class of 1960. We spent six wonderful years in the two schools on the Edgewood property. In the first grade we were taught in the main Edgewood building. As second-graders we moved to the brand-new James Whitcomb Riley School, and from the third- to sixth grade we returned to the main facility.
Lyn and I sat with Jim Heidergot and his wife, Karen, Danny and Rita Vredevelt-Woerner, Janet Hitch-Isaac and Carolyn Presecan-Raymond. We had a blast recalling our school days. Nancy (Wilcox) Vittorio-DeBaun from our class was also present, and she brought me a birthday card.
Beverly Shirk-Hopper, another of our former classmates from Edgewood and Southport, send an Edgewood sweatshirt that was found in a cabin owned by Principal Paul Bailey and his wife. We placed it on a large stuffed dog, which was brought to the get-together.
Verne Chandler and Phillip Paswater were there, but I didn’t get a chance to visit with them. I know that Ted Lobdell invited Howard Catt and Bill Pickard and several teachers.
Steve Harnedy, a former Edgewood student and a 1965 graduate of Southport was the featured speaker. He went to school with my sister, Kathy. They will have their 50th high school reunion this month.
Steve was greatly involved in starting the Southport Alumni Association, and he served as president for more than 20 years. He also played a role in getting Louie Dampier’s uniform retired at Southport High. Steve is active in a variety of causes and is fun to talk with and/or read his remarks on Facebook. He has often stated his dislike for felines. I found it funny that as Lyn and I left the building that a cat was patrolling the parking lot and waiting for Steve to leave.
This column could go on for a few more pages with me telling more about the people I got to visit. I should have asked Stuart, my therapy dog, to write this column for me because Southsider Voice Editor Scott Mohr doesn’t edit much of Stuart’s work. (Hey, Stuart, Scott here. If you read this, tell Fred I only cut 56 of his words.)
I’m already looking forward to our next get-together.