We had so much fun at our first one that we learned how to keep them on schedule and fun. Our reunions that end in zero (40th and 50th) draw more classmates from distances. Sue Thompson-Zajac and Donald Hadley reside in Alaska. A large group lives in Florida.
For the past few years we have scheduled yearly get-togethers, usually a Friday evening and then a picnic on Saturday.
A few years ago we started a monthly breakfast and a lunch. The breakfast is the last Wednesday of the month at The Hotcakes Emporium on Bluff Road near Southport Road. It is mostly attended by men from my class, but it is open to anyone who went to Southport.
A few months ago a fellow carrying a yearbook from our class walked into the restaurant. He introduced himself as Louis Jones. He and his wife, Bonnie, had just moved to Indianapolis from California. It was wonderful to get reacquainted with Louis again.
The luncheon is mostly attended by ladies from our graduating class, and it is held at a different site each month. Donna Emmons-LaFollett and Barbara Wilson-Cooke reside near the Ohio River. Sometimes the lunch is near their backyards. I’m not exactly sure how I got invited to join this group.
In honor of May and the festivities associated with the Indianapolis 500, our May lunch was held at the 1911 Grill and Speedway Indoor Karting, which is owned by Sarah Fisher and her husband, Andy O’Gara.
As we were enjoying our lunch, we noticed Sarah Fisher was walking around the restaurant and visiting with some of the customers. A few minutes later I looked up to see Sarah walking toward our table. She thanked us for visiting and visited with our group.
I told her a bit about the program that the Perry Township/Southport Historical Society put together a few years ago: “Perry Township’s Contribution to the Indy 500.” We had tried to contact Sarah to get her involved, but she was still very involved in racing; our program didn’t fit into her schedule.
I told her about some of the folks who were honored at the program. She didn’t know that Howdy Wilcox and Joe Langley were township residents when they were involved with the Indy 500.