These Are A Few of My Favorite AHS Things

Here's a poem written for our 2006 class reunion, written to the song: "These Are a Few of My Favorite Things."


--

The Spinners, Paul Simon, The Who, and The Eagles

Fr. Goetsch was a softie, but not Fr. Speigel

Skating at Vander Veer -- the cold, it would sting

These are a few of my favorite things

When a fellow named Ron taught the "Ballard of Mitosis"

"Unnecessary Nerdness" was his students' diagnosis

But Ray Ambrose, in teaching, was as tall as Yao Ming

These are a few of my favorite things

In football we shut out each Scott County foe

Jim Morrison, while pool hopping, broke his big toe

In tennis, Steve Maller, had a sweet backhand swing

These are a few of my favorite things

Steve Van Camp was a threat, on the mound and the bases

A brutal '73 song: Midnight at the Oasis

Bonfires at Junge in the fall and the spring

These are a few of my favorite things

Junior year "Skip Days" produced colorful stories

And the water was freeeeeeezing at the Tipton Quarries

Old TV newsmen -- Don Rhyne and Jim King

These are a few of my favorite things

Open campus as seniors -- now that was an upper

Intramurals, choral concerts, Prom, Spaghetti Supper

Nicknames like "Twinkletoes," "Don Juan," and "String"

These are a few of my favorite things

Driver-Ed classes at Central -- kind of a downer

Library talkers made Sister Elizabeth a frowner

Yoda, from Star Wars, eating Hostess Dong Dings

These are a few of my favorite things

Peacock's, the Circle, and then Uncle Sams

We spent a lot of time, but not a lot of "clams"

Happy Joe's Pizza -- Mr. Quick onion rings

These are a few of my favorite things

Junior Year '50s dance -- right out of Grease

Joe Maher would lecture, and then offer "Peace"

McCartney with the Beatles, and later with Wings

These are a few of my favorite things

The hallway radiators were a gathering spot

But the bathrooms reeked of tobacco and pot

A yearbook, old clippings, a Josten's class ring

These are a few of my favorite things

Lockers of burnouts feared search and seizure

Guys' fashion was awful -- suits made for Leisure

Shopping at Northpark (except at Chess King!)

These are a few of my favorite things

David L. Watson directed school plays

The AHS art room had its own smoky haze

(Just like the movie "Confused and Dazed")

(And the jukebox freshman year was all Surfin' USAs)

Running cross country, being first to the string

These are a few of my favorite things

Marcia was a babe on TV's Brady Bunch

A cook kicked the jukebox, so we boycotted lunch

July at the Bix feels as hot as Palm Springs

(This is not one of my favorite things)

Annie Wittenmayer fireworks packed a big "Wow" 

Renee Neubauer, Jim Boyle -- Where are they now?

(Did a classmate, driving back from UNI, really hit a cow?)

Our class has matured -- we no longer mudsling

These are a few of my favorite things

Jeff Hart drove a Signet, Kevin Perry drove a Pacer

Mech. Drawing's Mr. Becker got hit by the eraser

(Tim Burke did it)

Reunion golf tournaments, the fun that they bring

These are a few of my favorite things

The Class of 76 women -- 100% hotties!

(Two of them were tipped over in a port-a-potty)

In Loehrer's Death & Dying class, we saw dead bodies

The hot sauce at Rudy's packed quite a zing

These are a few of my favorite things

As freshmen we "Frolicked" to a band that was "Natty"

A Gusta named John, an Ehlert named Patty

(The junior-year crackdown nearly drove us all batty) 

Central and West High had a lot of ding-a-lings

These are a few of my favorite things

Pepe's, Chef's Hat, Italian Village -- good grub

The Palmer chiropractors let us drink at their Pub

The Chicago Science trip -- a memorable spring

These are a few of my favorite things

A Hein named Anita, a Navarro named Ruby

We listened to music of Brothers called Doobie

(And Saturday cartoons with Shaggy and Scooby)

Steely Dan, Elton John, BTO, Carole King

These are a few of my favorite things

A Frandsen named Tim, a Simpson named Sue

Jim Jr. beat Jim Sr in football -- the Devils were blue!

(And on Gary Laake's test -- questions 2,5,9,12 are "True")

In baseball, the White Sox own championship rings

These are a few of my favorite things

The Coronet and Capital -- old movie houses

And AHS girls wore plaid skirts, white blouses

(In Christian Marriage we had make-believe spouses)

Jeff Beck is a wizard when he strums guitar strings

These are a few of my favorite things

So many memories -- we could fill up this blog

Let's not forget our deceased -- from Barta to Zaug 

I think of Kim Wamsley when Cat Stevens sings

These are a few Class of 76 things

Like a fine wine (no, not Boone's Farm!), reunions get better with age

Greetings. Another AHS Class of 1976 reunion has come and gone. Amazing.

What’s especially remarkable is the fact that we graduated from high school 35 years ago, yet nobody looks a day over 39. Go figure. (There must have been some fountain-of-youth ingredient mixed in those beverages served at Junge and Cedar Street parties back in the good old days).

Despite unusually hot and humid conditions, the July 1-2 gathering will be remembered not for the weather but for the cold drinks, warm food, good conversation, trivia, an encore of the class video, laughter, cold drinks, and a lot of reminiscing. (Did I say cold drinks twice?).

If you were among the 56 classmates and another 15-20 spouses who came to at least one day, I think you’ll agree it was well planned and executed by the reunion committee. A special thanks to Ed Cervantes, Mike Coughlin, Tom Engelmann, Tim Frandsen, Eileen Grady, Anita Hein, Tim Kilfoy, Mary Beth Leese, Ann Peine, Andorthy Speer, Sharon Spreit, Chris Springer, Joe Van Camp, Cathy Weiman and Dan Zack for their time and attention to detail.

We attracted four foursomes for golf, and assembled bright and early at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Rock Island Arsenal. A golf course housed on a U.S. government facility meant cheating wasn’t only unethical, but a federal offense! (That still did stop me from executing several foot wedges and mulligans, though). I didn’t break 100, but I managed to break off the heads of my 4- and 5-irons. I guess it’s time to retire my 1960s Chi Chi Rodriguez-signature clubs. I’ll save the surviving clubs for 2016 reunion door prizes.

Golf awards:

--Tom McDermott had longest drive on hole #7
--Ed Cervantes had closest to the pin on hole #9
--Dan Gerety had longest put on hole #12
--Cheryl Lambrecht (Gannon) had closest to the pin on hole #17
--Low score by the team of Steve VanCamp, Luke Harkins, Cheryl Lambrecht (Gannon) and Tom Engelmann

--“Foursome that most resembled a Three Stooges episode” was Tim Kilfoy, Mike Early, Jeff Epping and Gene McGivern

I've heard that most of the reunion absentees had conflicts and would have loved to have joined us. Let’s hope it works out for more people to attend in 2016.

I hope I’m not missing anyone, but thanks to these classmates (and some spouses) who attended:

Sue Bales, Jennifer Bernat, Terry Breheny, Chris Browne, John Bugos, Barb Bushur

Lynn Callahan, Ed Carroll, Ed Cervantes, Mike Coughlin, Liz Czolgosz

Ray Donahue

Mike Early, Tom Engelmann, Jeff Epping

Linda Foley, Tim Frandsen

Cheryl Gannon, Dave Geisler, Dan Gerety, Tom Gosser, Eileen Grady, John Gusta

Luke Harkins, Kathy Hasley, Kathy Haut, Anita Hein, Steve Hinton, Diana Hupperts 

Steve Johnston

Tim Kilfoy, Mike Koprucki

Mary Beth Leese

Dino Madrigal, Ann McCabe, Tom McDermott, Gene McGivern, Kathy Mulligan, Beth Murphy

Ruby Navarro

Karen Omahen

Ann Peine, Mac Pritchard

Mara Quinn

Debbie Ruiz

Sue Salter, Andorothy Speer, Sharon Spriet, Chris Springer,

Kathy Tomsha

Tony Valainis, Joe Van Camp, Steve Van Camp

Mary Walsh, Cathy Weiman

Dan Zack

A special salute to the folks who came so far to take part, including Linda Foley, Dan Gerety, Steve Hinton, Ruby Navarro, Karen Omahen, Mac Pritchard, Mary Walsh and Tom Gosser. It was especially good to see the likes of Mary, Tom, Cheryl Gannon, John Gusta and Tony Valainis, who have been unable to attend many recent reunions. I’d bet they’re glad they showed up and would encourage any others to make the next bash in 2016.

If anyone has any photos, please send to me (ejmcgivern@stthomas.edu) and I’ll post here. I also will continue to add post-reunion items and links. This blog, as well as Facebook, can be a way where we still communicate class news and updates.

Watch your emails next December for news about a Christmas-time Happy Hour in Davenport for any classmates who are back in town.

At age 53, we’re all at slightly different points in our family and career life. Yes, we’re running out of time to match Bill Gates’ bankroll, Michael Jordan’s hang time, Mother Teresa’s holiness, or Oprah’s influence.

But in our real worlds -- after our good health and family focus – there’s nothing quite like good friendships, laughter, and a variety of memories, and last week let us experience all three.