It was a Thursday evening, around 8 PM, when the
graduation ceremonies began. Friends and family
members watched, smiled and sniffled as the
individual members of the class of 1971 walked
across the auditorium stage to collect their hard
earned diploma.
The place was Forsan High School, a small
school in a tiny west Texas oil community.
After the ceremonies, most of the 29 graduating
seniors congregated together in nervous excitement.
Most rushed off to celebrate, congratulating each
other on this momentous occasion.
Many of the graduating class had known each other
almost their entire lives. They were friends,
classmates and, in a sense, almost family.
And yet, when they left each other that evening,
they vanished. Fading from each others lives into a
distant, yet important memory.
As I turned off Highway 87 onto that still familiar
two lane road I tensed with excitement. I looked
forward to meeting up with fellow members of the
class of '71. It was the 25th class reunion and I was
sure that many would be there.
I had not attended any of the previous class
reunions. Shortly after graduation I was married,
went to college and began raising a family. Class
reunions never occurred to me the first several
years.
Then, I moved to California for better job
opportunities than were offered in dusty West
Texas. Over the years, I knew there must be
reunions, but I had lost touch of my classmates.
Besides, it just wasn't practical to travel such a
distance for a class reunion.
In 1995, my employer transferred me to Dallas,
Texas. I realized there was no longer any excuse to
miss the next reunion. Especially since it was the
milestone 25th. I contacted the school and got the
name and address of the alumni who was in charge
of the "all class" reunion. Because of the small size
of the school, the reunions encompassed all
graduating class from the 1930 to the present.
As I eagerly looked around the room, scanning the
name tags and faces for someone familiar. I was
surprised to find only two of my classmates had
attended Jacky Willis and Vard Griffith.
We talked and reminisced, but when I drove away from the
reunion that day, I was left with a sense of sadness.
Sadness because I had missed out on years of
knowing people I had been through so much with
decades before.
Along with the sadness, however, was a
determination to reacquaint myself with that class of
1971. With that in mind, I began construction of
this Web Site for those 29 young people who
walked across the auditorium stage so many years
ago.
Here, I will introduce the Class of 1971 to the
world. In the process, I hope to be able to locate
my classmates and fill in the 25 year gap we've
built.
Check back often for updates and news of what I
learn about the class of 1971...
If you know the whereabouts of a 1971 graduate
of Forsan High, please E-Mail me and let me know
how to reach them Or simply send me your
comments. They are appreciated. Thanks,
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