Summer Newsletter - Class of '74

WEEEEELLLLLLLL!!!!! It’s time for another newsletter with updates on
different folks along with PLANS FOR THE REUNION!!! Now be sure and
tell folks about this blog so they can keep up with the news! At the second meeting
several met to discuss further plans. There was some talk of possibly waiting till next
summer and partnering with the Class of 75 as they were already on there way but
several of you said you wanted us to stay on track for October, so October it is!
Well folks, things are heating up! And not just because of the Texas heat!!!! It looks like the Reunion is on its' way to happening. So far, it looks like the location and time are as follows:

The Group Recreation Center
Texas State Park, Lake Brownwood (I'll put a map in the next
newsletter....and thank Betty (Evans)Young for her contribution
for making this happen...)
Saturday, October 24, 2009.
2:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
(We need a head count by October 14, Contact Ronnie & Donnie Lappe
twolappe@juno.com)

There is a $3.00 fee to get into the park (unless you have a sticker) and we will need $3.00 per person for the reunion. In addition, each dinner will be $ 6.50. IT WILL BE IMPORTANT TO PAY THE FEES TO COME TO THE REUNION.ALSO, THE FEES AT THE DOOR AND FOR THE MEAL ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE! All the details haven't been worked out just yet. Not trying to be tacky but last time some folks got stuck with part of the expenses as some did not pitch in so we must be a bit more demanding this time around ! There will be more details in the near future.....

Well, I heard from KATHY (WILLIAMS) STEWART who’s living
in Golthwaite these days! She recently moved there with her husband from Brownwood.
She works as a Certified Nurses Aide and is happily married with kids and
Grand kids. This is the first we have heard from her since High School. She is
planning on attending the reunion in the fall! GOOD TO HEAR FROM YOU
KATHY!!!! VICKI ROSS LENDL has stayed in touch as well. She lives in Arlington,
Texas. I saw a picture of her daughter and she is even prettier than her mother
which is a saying a lot…(my god, …I do have such charm….sometimes it brings
tears to my eyes….) Vicki has been helping us with the reunion. She doesn’t look
any different than she did in high school! (Unlike some of us…who turn into
Homer Simpson as we age….boy…..) GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN VICKI!!!
MIKE DILLARD is a professor at Howard Payne and living in Brownwood. I don’t have
much additional information on him and his family. Nonetheless, it was good to hear from him. I also heard from STEVE KELLY for the first time since High School. He is married and has children, one of who works with him in his real estate business. He spent several years working for the Government and now has his own Real Estate Consulting business in Georgetown.
GOOD TO HEAR FROM YOU STEVE!!!!
I got a head’s up from BOBBY ADAMS……uh…excuse me….ROBERT ADAMS…..(boy these bankers really take themselves awfully serious) ….He told me about his wife and child. He is still in the Dallas area and continues to work in banking. Hope you can make it to the reunion. STEVE SLAGLE continues to live with his wife Jane in New Braunfels and is, of course a M.D. in Internal Medicine. I believe he does mostly hospital work now. I think they got the travel bug as well and have had a few trips they can talk about at the reunion. At the planning meeting, BETTY (STORM) ALVEY announced that she had retired from teaching! I think she plans to do some traveling and probably a little sleeping in late as well.........

ON A SAD NOTE...We've lost a few classmates this year. We've said good-bye to, VICKY KING, ELIZABETH ( Bridges) ALEXANDER, and KENNY ROUSE. I think we're
all getting to a point in our lives where this will become a little more common. I think it also gives us a chance to reflect on the good-times we had with them. I do remember being in the play, THE MOUSTRAP with Elizabeth....we had a lot of fun....
We also lost one of our great mentors at BHS..... MS. DORTHY MACINTOSH who, for over 40 years led the Choral department at BHS. Glen Jones told a story to me about her the day after her funeral:

" I told this story to the preacher yesterday after the funeral. Part of his message was about
wanting certain people's approval. Miss Mac was one of those. My story begins my senior
year. After making All-Area Choir my sophomore and junior years I finally made All-State
my senior year. So after that All-State week (sometime in March) we then began working on
UIL solo and ensemble which was in late April. I was All-State!!! Why waste my time on
such useless things as UIL solo? That stuff was below me now. Well, I did the solo but did
not work on it very much. I got in the solo room, began the song, and forgot the words.
That's right...I hummed my way through my UIL solo and got a 3. Miss Mac was
HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!! Never had I disappointed anybody in my life like I had her that day. I still
regret that."

"I have now lost the 2 most important mentors in my life (Coach Wood being the other). As
I said the day after Coach Wood died, I performed for a very special lady at a very special
place at a very special time. I love Miss Mac and I will never, ever forget her!!!!!"
If you go on Facebook on my site and scroll down to the "older posts" you will come to a
video about Miss MacIntosh. It was very well done! Though she never had children of her
own, I think it is apparent that she was a "mother" figure to a lot of people over the years.
She will be missed......"

Well I think that's enough for now. I will continue to monitor the progress for the reunion and keep you all updated. Be sure and tell everyone about this blog as it's a good way to stay up
with the progress.

See you all in October........ Homer Simpson.....I mean...uh.....James