THE CLASS REUNION

(Sorry, I could not upload the pictures)
Every five years, as summertime nears,
An announcement arrives in the mail,A reunion is planned;
it'll be really grand;Make plans to attend without fail.

I'll never forget the first time we met;
We tried so hard to impress.
We drove fancy cars, smoked big cigars,
And wore our most elegant dress.
It was quite an affair; the whole class was there.
It was held at a fancy hotel.
We wined, and we dined, and we acted refined,
And everyone thought it was swell.

The men all conversed about who had been first
To achieve great fortune and fame.
Meanwhile, their spouses described their fine houses
And how beautiful their children became.
The homecoming queen, who once had been lean,
Now weighed in at one-ninety-six.
The jocks who were there had all lost their hair,
And the cheerleaders could no longer do kicks.

No one had heard about the class nerd
Who'd guided a spacecraft to the moon;
Or poor little Jane, who's always been plain;
She married a shipping tycoon.
The boy we'd decreed 'most apt to succeed
'Was serving ten years in the State pen,
While the one voted 'least' now was a priest;
Just shows you can be wrong now and then.
They awarded a prize to one of the guys
Who seemed to have aged the least..
Another was given to the grad who had driven
The farthest to attend the feast.
They took a class picture, a curious mixture
Of beehives, crew cuts and wide ties.
Tall, short, or skinny, the style was the mini;
You never saw so many thighs.

At our next get-together,
no one cared whether They impressed their classmates or not.
The mood was informal, a whole lot more normal;
By this time we'd just all gone to pot.
It was held out-of-doors, at the lake shores;
We ate hamburgers, coleslaw, and beans.Then most of us lay around in the shade,
In our comfortable T-shirts no tie and jeans.

By the fiftieth year, it was abundantly clear,
We were definitely over the hill.
Those who weren't dead had to crawl out of bed,
And be home in time for their pill.
And now I can't wait; they've set the date;

Our sixtieth is coming, I'm told.
It should be a ball, they've rented a hall
At the Shady Rest Home for the old.
Repairs have been made on my hearing aid;
My pacemaker's been turned up on high.
My wheelchair is oiled, and my teeth have been boiled;
And I've bought a new wig and glass eye.
I'm feeling quite hearty, and I'm ready to party
I'm gonna dance 'til dawn's early light.
It'll be lots of fun;
But I just hope that there's one Other person
who can make it that night.
Author Unknown

Pat R. Alexander - Last 10 Years in Summary

Okay, it’s my turn and I’ll try to make it brief. I retired from my job as HS bookkeeper with Virginia Beach Schools after 28 years in 2005. After a couple of months, I came to enjoy being retired and now I’m like every other retired person and wonder how I ever had time to work. Some of you will know what I mean. My son, Tim, who had 4 children in 2000, gave me 2 more grandchildren, Harrison, (8) and Sheridan (3). For more about Tim’s family, you can check his website at http://www.alexanderadventures.com/ . There are lots of pictures of his beautiful family. Three of my grandchildren have graduated high school, April, Meredith, and Elliott. April married Alexander in 2006-making me have 9 grandchildren. April earned her BA degree in 2009 and is working on her Masters in Library Science. Her husband is a graduate of UT at Knoxville and received his masters at Treveka Nazarene University. Meredith has her real estate/broker license and lives at home with her parents. She is engaged to Stephen and a December wedding is planned. Elliott is doing organic farming with the family business in Amelia, VA. Jake is a junior in high school (Gallatin, TN). Oliver, Sullivan and Harrison are home-schooled and Sheridan is so sweet. My daughter, Sherry, is teaching in Gallatin, TN and recently earned her Master’s degree from Treveka Nazarene University. Her husband, Gary, is working on his degree. That sums up my children and grandchildren. Sheridan (3) and Harrison (8) are
pictured here sitting in a tire swing. I love taking pictures of the grandchildren.

A few days after my retirement, our best friend, Curtis, was accidentally killed on his job site. We were devastated as it changed our life considerably. The next year, Thurman started a renovation on our house in Chesapeake, VA adding 8 feet across the back, remodel of the master bath, bedroom and walk-in closet which made some changes in the family room and deck.

About 3 years ago, Thurman and I bought a second home in Okeechobee, Florida. We were spending a couple of months at the Big O RV Resort (in a 30 ft. RV) when Thurman found a DEAL--a park model “fixer-upper”—pictured before and after. Thurman is talented enough to do the work himself so that’s where we go in October, January, February, and March. Unless he starts another project, he will be finished with the renovation this coming October when we hope to return to the Big O. Not much was accomplished this winter because of family illness and death. Thurman’s stepfather passed away in February and his mother is now living with his sister. We are learning to take things as they come. We have many friends at the Big O who come from all over the US and Canada. People call us “Snow Birds”.


Besides Florida, we and/or I found some time for a cruise to Bermuda and one to Boston, New England and Canada. We visit our children every chance we get and occasionally attend Blue Grass Festivals.

Carlton Boyce Surgery

Dear Classmates,

I received a call from Carlton's sister this morning informing me that Carlton fell on Friday and broke his left shoulder. He had surgery today at Albemarle Hospital. The surgery went well. He is in room 260 and he will be there for a day or so. Since he lives by himself, he will be moving to a local nursing home for a while. I told him that I would be passing this information on to you. Keep Carlton in your prayers. He is having a lot of pain.

CD White

Pass it on

Jimmy Sullivan is but one of 42 classmates who has a computer and e-mail so let's hear from someone else. It's a great way to catch up on what's been happening in our classmates lives over the past 10 years. Someone suggested that if you know something about someone else in the class, you might want to share. If someone has a special talent, we'd like to know. It will be great to see each other in September and hear from you now.

Jimmy Sullivan - The Past Ten Years

The past 10 years have been very eventful. First of all, I retired 10 years ago. I had one of those enhanced retirement opportunities which I and many others could not resist. Within a few months the business was sold thus my decision to retire early was the right one.

My two sons were close by but work took them many, many miles away. The closest is in South Carolina near Columbia, the other is in Utopia, Texas. Yes there is a Utopia!!! It is about 70 miles west of San Antonio in what is called the Texas Hill Country.

The biggest event in the past 10 years was the sudden death of my wife due to a stroke almost 7 years ago. It was about that time that the boys moved away as well. Needless to say, things have not been the same. I have considered moving but I have not done so. My mother is still living in Hertford thus I remain close by. I go in to see her about once every two weeks so I keep in touch with what is going on around town. I do not get to see many folks because all my time is spent with her.

The picture is of me and my gang. It was taken where we were all together in Texas last July. My grand girls are now 4 and 10. They live in South Carolina so I get to see them fairly often. I've even had opportunities to look after them while their parents were gone for a few days. I had to learn how to change diapers again!!!!!!!!

My time is spent doing stuff around the house here trying to get it undated and ready for sale if I decide to move. I have 4 boats I'm messing with. One is an old ski boat I had when the boys were growing up. I have another larger one that I’m getting ready to do some serious water traveling with. I want to explore all the rivers and sounds from Virginia to South Carolina. I also have an antique wooden boat made by Grady White that I hope to start restoring soon. The last one is a sailboat. A nice little 20' day sailer.

If you are ever down my way here in Greenville, stop by for a visit!!!

Looking forward to seeing you at the reunion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jimmy Sullivan
252-758-4815
jimsullivan_8@msn.com