Class of 1957

 

 
 
   
 

Send us your remarks about our reunion, and we will publish your remarks, for others to see.....  [Click Below]

 
 
 

Thanks so much for letting us be a part of your 50th Year Class Reunion. I hope our little part brought back some nice memories. You were so nice to us.....

THE STARDUSTERS

 Bobby

Congratulations to all who had a part in organizing our reunion ... it was great!  Thanks to all!

Jane Kay (Herrick) Mehlman

I wish to express my sincere thanks to you all for allowing me to maintain "The List". This past year was truly a great experience finding and talking with so many of you. We had our Texas "Mini" reunions and Sherry said so many of the "Texas" group made her feel so welcome at the Main Reunion, both Friday and Saturday. I could go on forever but the Events were great. I agree, this was the best ever that I attended. Joe Garrison said we wanted to contact ALL members. We still need to find 72 more to complete that task so please review the "missing" list and see if you can help.

Remember the Winnsboro Event in October. Check the website for details or contact me. It is a public event. The Motel is giving the "LRCHS Group" a special rate.

 
Don Payne, LRCHS '57
Keeper of " THE LIST "
P.O. Box 4092
Wichita Falls, TX 76308-0092
940-691-3398 Home#
940-692-0000 Fax#

Exceptional reunion!!!  All who were involved in its organization have my thanks.  Lets do it again in 2057!  See all of you then.

Dick Vroman

 

I think all of the people involved in planning and putting together the reunion did an outstanding job.  Clearly,  great amounts of time, energy, creativity and resourcefulness were expended on this event, and the result certainly reflected this.  The reunion was nostalgic, fun and emotional - and made me wish that I had attended previous reunions.  My thanks to all of the people who had a hand in making the reunion such an overwhelming success for doing a magnificent job.  I had a wonderful time.

Jimmy Wood 

 

Our 50th reunion was an experience I will never forget.  The first reunion I ever got to attend was the 45th and it was great, but this one was so memorable and put together very well.  You could hear the excitement in the room when you entered and feel the love between the classmates.  Knowing that people actually remembered me, even without looking at the name tag, was great.  I got a ton of hugs and even though our visits were short, all the good memories of LRCHS were brought back.  And I think we all look pretty darn good considering we are looking at 70 not too far in the future, but age is just a number.  Thanks to all the organizers of the reunion - you made it happen big time and we look forward to another one in five years.  Love to all of the Class of 1957.

Joan (Sanders) Gintella

 

 

Dear Classmates,
The 50 the reunion was absolutely fantastic, We are all so lucky  and fortunate to have classmates who serve on the LRCHS57  Reunion Committee, that simply do a out -standing job of organizing this memorable event. I was like most everyone else in attendance  who simply ran out of time to see and talk with everyone I wanted to see. Looks as if we will all get to do this again, in the not too distance future. (hopefully) Also, the Saturday morning Memorial service at LRCHS was very enlightening and well presented. I have now been to the last 3 reunions. (40th, 45th and the 50th) I look forward to more reunions as they seem to be getting better and more rewarding. Thanking you  again for your efforts in making this one of the most  memorable weekends in my life.

Your old classmate,
Gaylon Wayne Mulkey

 

THIS REUNION WAS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST.  AS WE GET OLDER, WE GET WISER AND MORE MELLOW.....THIS IS A GOOD THING!  THANKS TO EVERYBODY WHO WORKED SO HARD TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR ALL OF US TO GATHER IN ONE PLACE AFTER SO MANY YEARS.  I SAW ENTHUSIASM ON EVERY FACE THERE!

 

SINCEREST GRATITUDE!
 
BENI (BROWN) WILSON

 

I now live in L.A. and so almost didn't go, but Don Payne  fired me up. (The Payne family and Fewell family go way back when Don and I were 5 or 6 years old). Then I talked to Ralph Erwin (Master of the Directory), Charles Humphrey (Master of our Website), Joanie Sanders Gintella (who wrote our Class Poem, "Who Are We?") and the urge grew. I saw how much work and care went into creating the website by Charles, the Directory by Ralph, the Master List by Don, and the Reunion Committee's work to bring about the playgrounds for this event. Each one is to be congratulated. I loved seeing as many as I could out of the large turnout and I didn't have to look at all the badges first, as I thought I might, to recognize everyone.  Being there brought home the fact that we are a special group as the Class of 1957 and should be proud of it.

Anne Fewell

 

 

"THANKS, FOR THE MEMORIES"

I want to send a sincere thank you to all of those that made this reunion such a memorable event in my life.  This was my 1st reunion and I was happy to see so many old friends.  There were classmates there that I've known since the 3rd grade.  We shared many great stories and had a wonderful time.

We have 17 classmates living in Florida and we want to start having a LRCHS 57 mini reunion here.

Again, thank you for the time and effort put forth to making this reunion such a success.

Your classmate,

Joyce (Whittecar) Brewer

Miami, Florida

 

Awesome and So much fun!  Food was great, bands were fantastic, and everyone looked unbelievably young and GOOD!  Congratulations to the entire committee for the many hours you spent organizing the best reunion we've ever had.  We always had a very special class and its 'class' was never more obvious than in this reunion, especially at the Memorial Service on Saturday morning.  Looking forward to the 55th!  Will be glad to help from 'afar' if you can find something for me to do!

Sarah Lee Hood

 

All involved on the reunion committee are to be commended for your hard work.  Everything was well organized and obviously a lot of thought and time was spent on the arrangements.

Linda Smith

 

WE WISH TO THANK  ALL THE VOLUNTEERS WHO MADE THIS 50TH THE BEST REUNION EVER. IT WAS A VERY WELL ORGANIZED EVENT AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WORKED HARD TO BRING IT ON AND WE THANK THEM FOR ALL THEIR EFFORTS.

I HAVE A FAVOR TO ASK OF THOSE WHO WE MET AT THE REUNION, IF YOU SEE THIS ON THE WEBSITE....WOULD YOU PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE AND WRITE US A SHORT NOTE ON OUR E-MAIL ADDRESS TO SAY HELLO AGAIN UNTIL NEXT TIME.  THANKS TO CHARLES HUMPHREY AND DON PAYNE WHO WORKED DILIGENTLY ON THE WEBSITE AND ALL THE REUNION COMMITTEE.

NEIL AND REGINA (MALCZYCKI) DOBBINS 

 

Overall, I'd give the reunion a 9 out of 10.  It was very well organized and the Peabody Hotel was a great venue.  The food and entertainment was excellent.  Kudos to all the organizers and especially good job to Charles for the great web site.  The only reason it didn't get a 10 was the goof on the power point presentation at the memorial service  (Barb Smith) and I would have liked to have heard more about where classmates came from and what they're doing now.  Maybe this was covered on Friday night which I wasn't able to attend.  Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next reunion and I'm sure it'll be even better and more attended.

Jay Tidmore

 

TO THE REUNION COMMITTEE:

Thank you for all the hours of work you gave to make this Reunion so very special. It was a really monumental task, and you accomplished it with grace. It was such fun to see all of "us" again, and to recognize each other with relative ease, even after life has had its way with us these many years. Seeing all my Arkansas buddies again was just wonderful. Those few years I had at LRCHS were so very special, because of all the fantastic and talented classmates. Thank you all.

Mary Claire (Shannon) Rowe

 

 

What a blast!  I had a great time visiting with all my old and new friends. The planning committee is to be commended for a job well done.  From the social time on Friday evening to the wonderful memorial service to tour of LRCHS through the great times had on Saturday evening, everything was well planned.  Thanks for making our 50th another milestone is list of great memories.

Betty (Phyllis Dodd) Matthews

 

THAT WAS THE BEST REUNION EVER.  HAT'S OFF TO ALL THE CLASSMATES WHO WORKED SO HARD TO MAKE THIS A WEEKEND WE WILL NEVER FORGET.

BETTY JO MUNCRIEF

 

The committee, Charles Humphrey, and Don Payne did a great job beyond the call of duty. The acceptance of our Wisconsin friends was wonderful and greatly appreciated.  The Friday at the Hangar was great once we got there, along JFK at 6:30 pm as the traffic was terrible.  Thank goodness it hadn't rained since we parked on the grass.  For the next reunion, I suggest a Friday night in LR and close to the Hotel where the out  of towner's are staying. 

Don Dugan

 

I've attended all of the reunions (10th, 20th, 30th, 40th, 45th and the greatest, the 50th). This one was the best, and everyone seems to get just a little more mellow each time. The memorial service was very moving.

Anyone who has any complaints is a sourpuss. The committee did a fabulous job. I almost missed the chance to pick up a copy of the directory, which is a treasure. If any are left over, you should mention their availability on the website.

Jerry Gardner

 

The reunion was very well planned, and I enjoyed it and appreciate those who organized it.

Virginia (Calhoun) Cross

 

First, thanks a million for all the work your committee members did...and to you, Charles, for the wonderful web site that made such a difference in planning and anticipating and just KNOWING what was going on with the reunion and with our class. I thought the reunion was fabulous - just the right mix of casual and extra nice. It was so great seeing people. The memorial service was a rich part of the total experience, and hearing from Central's dynamite principal and walking around our National Park Service, spit and polished, beautiful school made me swell with pride. Did I really go to school there? Sometimes it seems like a dream that I did. What a memorable week-end. Again, thank you so much, Committee, for all you did for the rest of us.

Sherron (Sipes) Shuffield

 

My wife and I were very impressed by the planning and professionalism by the committees responsible for the reunion.  There is much more work involved in such an event than most people realize unless they have been involved in a similar endeavor.  All of the preparation opened the door to reunions with old friends in a good environment.  Also, when people saw what was going on, it drew them to the reunion even if they had not come previously and there were more opportunities for fellowship.  I really appreciate all the effort and hope that we can do it again in five years.

Sam Narkinsky

 

I thought the reunion was GREAT!  If anything I didn't get to talk to as many people as I wanted.  I particularly enjoyed the comments by the present day principal.  I was pleased that she praised our website.  I'll bet Charles never got a compliment from Jess Matthews.

Bob (Robert) Rogers

 

Could not have been better!
 

Special thanks to the Reunion Committee and especially to co-chairs Georgiana Gunn and Glenda Gazette.

Also to the Search Committee (yours truly excepted. I only found one live and two deceased  so decided this wasn't my calling) for their many hours spent on the telephone and internet.

Also, thanks to Jim East for making his hanger available for our GREAT Friday night get-together and for all those involved in conducting the memorial service Saturday morning. Saturday night was well organized and the band was great!  (I think they are older than we are!)

Also, my appreciation goes out to Donald Payne and Charles Humphrey, Keeper of "The List" and Webmaster.  When did you guys sleep??

Hope to see you guys around town and again in 5 years (or sooner). We all have each others e-mail so lets keep in touch.

Mike Rector    

 

I was glad to see everyone.  We really had a great time.  The NLR airport was very nice and it was great at the Peabody.  The time at LRCHS was great also.  Will we meet again in about five years? The committee did a great job.

Nora (Lewis) Hays

 

Charles,

No wonder we were called the "wonder kids."  What a wonderful group of people we were!  I cannot remember one unkind word said about one person in our class.  I cannot remember any rumblings or hazing or bullying.  No drugs or real alcohol problems.  We were taught to respect our God, our parents, our country and our teachers and along with that we respected each other and just the whole human race.....did you look into the faces of our class mates?  I declare, I've never seen so many truly good and friendly people in one spot.  I probably had more fun that anybody there last weekend so it's a little embarrassing to get my reflections on the reunion.  I loved every moment with each person and I was very aware of Jack Singletons' words from his prayer on Saturday night......the lives of each person in my class are woven, like fabric into my life and I wouldn't have missed knowing one single one of them.  It was a magical two nights of friendship and remembrance, a night where I was back in time and when I looked into the faces I remembered them as they were.... young, expectant and full of the wonder of years lived.  Lets do it again in 6 months !!!!!!!!

 

Gwynne (McGee) Satterfield

P.S.:  If I haven't done so.....thank you, thank you for all the emails you sent and work on the web site.  It was grand.

 

The gang who worked on this 50th - as well as other reunions - deserve many "atta boys" (and girls).  The format was one that encouraged interaction and participation.  The memorial service was beautiful although sad.  The classmates who worked to develop the information regarding the Class's "groovy" gift to LRCHS deserve a great big "Thanks"!!  Makes me proud to be a member of the Class of '57.  To all the East Siders who organized additional opportunities to get together   . . .  I really, truly enjoyed ever moment.  I look forward to No. 55.

Emma Jo (Fulton) Adcock

 

What a wonderful weekend!!!  I have told everyone what fun it was.  It made me feel like I was 17 again.  I have also said it was a combination of American Bandstand and  "old home week".

The reunion would not have been the success it was without the hard work of Charles Humphrey (webmaster), Don Payne and all of the committee who worked days/weeks/years to ensure such success.  Thanks for all you did to make it so much fun for the rest of us.

Sharon (Laessig) Protzmann

 

This was the first reunion that I've attended.  The committee is to be commended on doing such a wonderful job of organizing all of the events!!  I know they spend many many hours to make it so special.  Also thanks to Charles Humphrey and Don Payne for the great job that they did.  It was truly great to see so many classmates. Thanks again to everyone on the committee for making a great reunion possible.

Connie (Terry) Smith

 

The reunion was really great - from the Friday night event to the memorial for classmates and the renewal of friendships. Ginger and I had a great time and thank everyone who was involved in putting the reunion together.

Fred Middleton

 

Kay and I would like to thank the Reunion of `57 committee for all the time and hard work to make our 50th (it’s hard to realize) an outstanding success! The tremendous turnout provides evidence of a well thought out and planned event. Special thanks to Jim East for providing his hangar for Friday night’s event, and to Charles Humphrey for an excellent website to keep up with things.  It was a great time for us! Thanks!!!!

John Garrison

 

I thank you so much for a awesome reunion, you guys are the best all went well and was good to see so many classmates in good shape, lets do it again.

Robert Kent

 

My granddaughter's graduation from Bentonville High School on Saturday morning took priority. At least I had 3 hours to see a few people on Saturday night, and I missed so many people I had hoped to see. Lots of praise for the committee, for the website, for the reunion directory, and the memorial service. Everyone looked great and had interesting stories to tell. I look forward to the 55th year.

Connie Ellis

 

Thanks again Charles, Ralph and Don for all the three of you did to contribute to the success of our reunion.

It is abundantly clear to me that we could not have done it without you.

And while I mean that most sincerely, it has the added benefit of being the truth.

 
Best regards to each of you.

Gordon S. Rather, Jr.
Wright, Lindsey & Jennings LLP
(501) 212-1267
Fax: (501) 376-9442
grather@wlj.com

 

Charles,

I have the idea that the 50th Reunion would not have happened in such a splendid way without your devotion to the project.  You called me months ago, and that attention convinced me that I would certainly show up for this one!

You have the gratitude of all.

Lynette (Cook) Black

 

I just wanted to drop you a line and let you know that your efforts on this web site are greatly appreciated. So far I have been unable to attend a single reunion and this helps fill the empty space.  THANKS

Don York
P.S. Hi Patricia Ann

 

Charles, Don, Ralph, Jim East and ALL volunteers…what a fantastic job on the reunion.  I cannot imagine all the work it took to get the great results.  Loved every minute of it.  The only complaint I have is that it wasn’t long enough.  Maybe the next reunion can be a WEEK LONG!  Thanks to everyone for such a great time.

Bettye (Wallace) Rogers

 

What a well planned and wonderful Golden Reunion . To the Reunion Committee Don, Ralph, Charles, THANKS A MILLION for all your hard work  and many hours spent on it. Charles and I feel so blessed to have been a part of the 57 Class and the reunion. This is our 3rd reunion attending and the 50th is the best one yet. We are definitely looking forward to the 55th in 5 years. THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pat (Crownrich) Humphrey

P.S. If you haven't made your reservation for Winnsboro, TX in October 2007, remember to do it NOW. It will be awesome I'm sure. Check Web Site for details. See you there, I hope.

 

Wow! I was impressed at how well organized the event was and thanks to the organizers for all the hard work. Thanks for the opportunity to see old friends. With so many people there it was hard to touch base with everyone.

I live in Sumner, Washington (near Tacoma) and this trip allowed Dick and I to visit LRU (now University of Arkansas-Little Rock) and find out about his old professors. He graduated from there before he went on to University of Illinois for graduate work in physical chemistry. We also visited our church and saw a picture of the minister who married us 47 years ago. Amazingly, I was able to go many places in our rented car although Little Rock has changed a lot. We had a wonderful time. Thanks for the opportunity.

Dick and Rosalind (McKelvey) Douthart

 

WOW!!! What a party!!!    I want to congratulate the planning committee for doing a fantastic job.  They get "First Prize" in "Job Well Done".    I know how much time and hard work goes into making a successful reunion....much dedication is required and it certainly was evident Friday night, Saturday morning and Saturday night.     It was great seeing old friends and remembering all of the fun times.  The Stardusters brought back many good memories... goodness, how did 50 years go so fast...
     Syd and I both had a wonderful, wonderful time and we are looking forward to the next one !
     Again, thank you to all you hard working classmates..... You did good !!!!!!!!!
   
Linda (Razer) Orton

 

What a wonderful Experience!

Having made the 10 Year Reunion was nothing compared to this Golden Reunion. I am so thankful the good Lord let me live long enough to be able to come and visit with all of those who attended. I am already saving up my shekels so I can attend the 55th, hopefully I can drag Ms Heidi along too, the Lord willin' and the creek don't rise.

I join all of the others in expressing my appreciation for the hard work that was done by the different Committees to put this Reunion together, a job well done. The Web Site is one of the most professional I have seen, great job Charles, List Keeper Don, ESJH 'Den Mother Beni, Task Master Joyce and all of you who worked so hard to make this gatherin' such a wonderful experience, thank you.

One of the things that impressed me the most was how all of us inter-acted after all of these years, I did see a few photo Bragging Books of "My Family...kids, grandkids" and so on, the predominant  thought after stating what we have done for the past 40-50 years or so...was how we all shared and reconnected with our thoughts and beliefs and how many of us hoped that we have given that lesson to our families. I believe we have all done our best work by being the example for them.

After leaving LR and heading back to Texas it was my pleasure to attend 2 graduations, preside at 4 birthday parties, a family reunion, haul some grandkids to Church Camp, Band Camp, receive an award from my home Masonic Lodge for 45 Years of service. Then help with transporting my oldest grandson and some of his stuff over to Baylor where he will start as a Sophomore...he has been taking extra college courses after school and on Saturday. He graduated from high school on 29 May this year.

I arrived back home in Germany yesterday 16 June, during my Jet Lag stupor I was informed by the grandsons that they had done all of the yard work for me while I was gone, and that they had "fixed" the mower. I learned this morning what that fix was, duct tape over a hole in the engine block to keep the oil from leaking out, and they found a plastic line for the weed eater, filled the tank with regular gas (not the Mixed oil/gas)...of course they meant well, but I will have to buy a new mower, and weed eater because the engines are shot. Isn't a great feeling to be needed and loved?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and enduring my banter. It was such a great blessing for me to see all of you after all of these years.

 

Tommy Bates
Hauswurz Germany

 

A little late in responding however, we thought everything was great and appreciate all who worked so hard to make it so successful.  Thanks again.

Mary K. (Reynolds) Stephens

 

Seeing classmates after so many years was a thrill. The idea of having their HS graduation picture on the name tags was a brilliant idea. Thoroughly enjoyed the two night event. The first night let us all reconnect and recognize old friends and the second an opportunity to spend more time reacquainting.

My sincerest appreciation for all of you who worked so hard to make the event come off so perfectly.

Bronson Jacoway

 

We enjoyed this reunion more than any in the past and we have attended all but one.   It was good to see some classmates which we haven't seen in 50 years.  Thanks especially to those who traveled long distances to be there; Tom Bates from Germany, Joyce (Whittecar) Brewer and the group from Florida, Hollis Williams and Rosalind (McKelvey) Douthart from Washington State,  Katherine Anne (Bond) Stewart from St. Paul, Minn., Julie (Saeler) Core from New York, Buster and Sharon Jones from Virginia, Bronson Jacoway, Anne Fewell, and others from Calif., also the exchange students from Manitowoc, Wis.   We appreciate these being  there as well as all  the others who came from outside Ark.

Joe and Barbara (Vermillion) Garrison