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