Subject: Re: PHS '62 Memories
Date: Fri, 26 Jul 2002 17:11:10 -0400
From: "larager@gte.net" [larager@gte.net]
To: Larry Norton [larrynorton@paonline.com]
CC: ALL

After reading so many of these, I guess it's time to participate in the "memory stroll":

I remember our freshman year being glad I was big enough to not become a fountain decoration for some seniors (sorry to hear you were Tom Sharpe).

How exciting the basketball season was our freshman year and how loud we could cheer and wild the crowds were (especially in the Morton game).

Having all the great dances we had with "real" orchestras - doesn't seem like kids today have very many school sponsored dances.

Walking home from Central on nice/bitter days (long before school buses) because my family only had one car and my mom was just starting to drive (thank goodness for automatic transmissions).

Thinking how old people used to look at 30 or 40 and how young we feel now at 58.

Loving school assemblies and loving to sing at some of them.

Baseball practices on beautiful spring afternoons (life was good) and baseball games where several guys from our class joined me (hey Weisert, Baumgardner, Childs, Dimler, and Selburg) on the bench for games. Also being frustrated that Harry Whitaker wouldn't find enough playing time during our blow-out victories during our State Tournament Year to enable the bench guys to get a "letter" for our school jackets.

Driving out I-74 to Morton when that first opened.

Study halls when people would roll pennies on the sloped wooden floors.

Sponsoring a "Marty Horn Day" complete with tags for people to wear and being called in by Max Mills to explain what I had done (he was a very kind man).

Thinking we would all remain in the Peoria area and to have spent two thirds of my life in Texas, Connecticut/New York, Georgia and Pennsylvania. Also thinking at previous reunions that it's a shame that while many of us will travel hundreds or even thousands of miles to do this every ten years or so, too many locals won't bother. I for one would like the chance to visit with some who will not be there.

Enough for now.

Larry Rager