| Sheffield
High School
Class of 1956 Forty-sixth Reunion
June 22, 2002
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The Rendezvous in 2002 by Buck Locke Now is the time for our Rendezvous Yes, it is now time in two thousand two To greet and enjoy each of you Our friendships to eagerly renew The paths of our lives have converged To this time and place like salmon are urged To return to the place of their birth We return once again to our hometown earth On June 22 the Sheffield Class of ’56 held their 46th reunion at the Recreation Center in Sheffield. Louis Buettner provided photo nametags of all the members of the class on a three-panel display coming into the hall. The photos were taken from the Demitasse, the Sheffield yearbook. It was great fun searching for the nametag and looking at all of the pictures of the “way we were”! Betty Collins handed out tickets for the door prizes. Louis had also taken the class photo from last year and separated out each member. He placed the ’56 photo above the 2001 photo with the persons name underneath it. Colorful, well done, and a special souvenir for each of us to take home! The most impressive and magical thing was that the girls have gotten more lovely over the years and most of the boys seem to have matured. Neil and Sandra Morris had an updated list of addresses for the class. Also, for the older members who are a little forgetful, they provided the words to the Alma Mater! In addition there was an updated “In Memory” list of classmates who have passed on. Since the last reunion we have lost Billie Hurst who died last September. The evening fun began with Sandra Foreman Morris shepherding everyone across the street to the steps of Sheffield High School for a class picture. She worked to keep us from straying to pasture! Many comments were made, perhaps in jest, about having transportation for such a senior group! One request was for a golf cart! It is a pleasure to report that everyone was able to make the 100 yard hike. Once on the steps there was much jousting around to get the group into an orderly arrangement! Herding cats is the image that comes to mind. Everyone wanted to make sure they were in the picture. After numerous photos of the motley group by their spouses, everyone trooped back to the Recreation Center for the evening meal. At the beginning, a candle was lit and Ronald Pace read the names of the seventeen classmates who had passed on. When he finished the candle was extinguished and a few moments of silent prayer were shared by all in remembrance. Ronald then asked for a blessing on the gathering and for the food. The evening was catered buffet style and plates were filled with barbecue, chicken, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans and bread. There was certainly and opportunity for everyone to gain 5 to 10 pounds! The ladies brought deserts of cakes and pies and jello molds for many tempting treats. We were assured that all the deserts were calorie free! After eating and renewing ol’ friendships we had a program. Buck Locke opened with a poem for the occasion “Rendezvous – 2002”. Next Louis Buettner had made a framed photo of each attendee who had signed up for the evening along with caption under their senior picture in the Demitasse . A fun discussion was had as to the identity of the person or persons who had selected those captions so long ago. As each caption was read the photo was handed to the person and they had an opportunity to give the class an update on special events that had happened since their last reunion. Since this was not a planned event the talks were off the cuff. They were inspirational and some comments brought tears and others brought laughter. A recurring theme was how fortunate we were and the blessings which we have enjoyed. One remark was “I can’t remember not knowing all of you!!”. Many of us who started the first grade together graduated from high school. Jesse “Buddy” Baker did not have a framed photo as he was not expected to attend. He had gotten back the previous day from Scotland! We got his caption out of the yearbook and he gave us an update of his worldwide travels as a missionary minister. We were all excited that two classmates showed up for the first time. Ronald Gene Martin came in from Nashville and Jimmy Kirsh from in Huntsville. Everyone was really pleased to see them and renew friendships. We thought if we treated them special they would return! Out of a class of 117 we are missing the addresses of Carol Cahoon Hauser and Katherine Stribling Lee. Sandra and Peggy wanted everyone to help locate these classmates. Next John Collins took over and gave presents to all the members of the planning committee: Peggy King Bishop, Sandra Foreman Morris, Joyce Horton Johnson, Rebecca Malone Floyd, Shirley Kimbrough White, and Patsy Bell Congleton. Then we got to the door prizes. John Collins furnished the prizes and he had Ronald Pace “volunteer” to draw the winning ticket. It turned out that John had “winning” tickets door prizes for everyone in the class! He was really able to bring the evening to a joyous close as everyone was a “winner”! Peggy Bishop set up a table with many grade school class photographs which we huddled around. The goal was to write down the names of all the kids. It was interesting to see how crisp and clear some folks memory was of that time over two score and ten years ago. Others of us have difficulty remembering what we did last week! Attendees by High School Name with Senior Photo Caption Bette Anderson - She is most fair, and thereunto her life doth rightly harmonize. Patsy Sue Bell – A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance. Jesse (Buddy) Baker – Keep your eye on this young man; the world will talk of him someday. Frank Bishop – Silence is a great peacemaker. James Brewer – I meant to do my homework today. Louis Buettner – The all-around boy so rarely found. Harold Chambers– When you play, play hard; when you work --- by the way, when do you work? John Collins – His words were like carrier pigeons, to be released only singly and in some emergency Bobbie Cornett – Her words are few, but well chosen. Glenda Craft – Quality, not quantity, is my measure. Sandra Foreman – Life is for the living, the rest is for the dead. Joe Frazier – Missing caption. Bobby Glover – I myself must mix with action lest I wither in despair. Joyce Horton – Kindness is the golden chain by which Society is bound together. Shirley Kimbrough – She does her bit with all her might, and we all say that she’s all right. Peggy King – She made a virtue of necessity. Jimmy Kirsch – Gentle to others, to himself severe. Barbara Laughlin – Great feeling has she of her own, which lesser souls may never know. Buck Locke – He can convince others of many things, and himself of anything. Rebecca Malone – Care, Oh yes! ….How do you spell it? Sam Malone – What we earnestly aspire to be, that in the same sense we are. Joann Marsh – Neatness and beauty are the crowning graces of womanhood. Ronald Gene Martin – I can resist everything but temptation. Gary Menne – True with is nature to advantage dressed. Ronald Gene Pace – Combination of the wise and otherwise. Robert (Bud) Thrasher – I agree with no man’s opinions, I have some of my own. Jimmy Todd – Distinction without a difference.
By Buck Locke, Published July 12, 2002 in The Colbert County Reporter
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