It appears that our last reunion, held August 3, 1996, was a great success and hopefully everyone had a very enjoyable time. There were about 250, give or take a few, in attendance, and as usual we had lots of good food and a fun time reminiscing as well as renewing old acquaintances.

In addition to presenting awards, giving special recognition to several individuals and taking care of some miscellaneous business, new officers also were elected: Patsy Reed Fryar, President; George White, Vice President; and Boyce Hale, Secretary-Treasurer. I agreed to prepare our newsletter once again, and, with the help of my wife Mollie, to continue trying to keep the general mailing list as up-to-date as possible. As I was telling someone at the last reunion, it appears that on average about 20% of our alumni change their address every couple years.

One of the highlights of the reunion was the induction into the FHS Hall of Honor of 3 former FHS students who gave their lives in the service of our country during WWII. They were Earl McAlpine, Paul Amos Wadsworth and G.W. Creelman. Earl McAlpine, who graduated from FHS in 1940, was killed July 28, 1943 in the crash of his heavy bomber. He was buried with military honors in Big Spring in Mount Olive Cemetery. Wadsworth, who graduated from FHS in 1942, was killed in Norwich, England on November 24, 1944, when his plane crashed during a mission. He was buried in Norwich, but his body later was moved to Mount Olive Cemetery in Big Spring. He too was buried with full military honors and was posthumously awarded the Air Medal. Creelman attended school at Forsan from 1929 until 1936. He was awarded the Purple Heart and was killed on August 28, 1944 as his division began their move into France. He was buried near Cannes, France at Draguignan Cemetery. We recognized that many other former alumni have served their country admirably and several lost their lives doing so.

Bet you didn’t know that our Secretary-Treasurer, Boyce Hale ’38, is the one and only living FHS graduate that attended Forsan school the very first year of its existence (1928-1929). He remembers riding to school in Snuffy Smith’s old truck (their original "school bus").

Lucille (Lucy) Wilson Barton ’34 got an early start at Forsan school also. Her first year there was 1930. In 1931, she was on the Forsan girls basketball team that won the county championship (see picture on page 4). According to our best available records, this was the first championship team of any kind at Forsan. They had to play outside back then. She also played tennis. Lucy, who has been married to Arthur Barton for some 58 years and has always lived in Forsan, also recalls the very first Junior/Senior trip at Forsan. It took place in 1933. Superintendent L.L. Martin started these trips. For the first several years, he and the principal, Mr. Molechek, both accompanied the kids on these trips. Lucy said that on that first trip they went to Carlsbad Caverns, then to Ruidosa, and then to El Paso and Juarez. They had to go in Snuffy Smith’s old covered truck, as the school didn’t have a bus back then. When time came for the second Junior/Senior trip in 1934, they got to go to the Grand Canyon in a genuine school bus. The school had acquired a bus earlier that year. It seems that the juniors and seniors back then got to go on some pretty interesting trips. You may recall in the last newsletter, Fred Thieme ’39 recalled a Junior/Senior trip that took them to Los Angeles, Yellowstone, Brice Canyon and Hoover Dam. He recalled that the following year’s Senior trip took them to Mexico City. Not too bad for way back then! A couple of interesting side-notes about Lucy…She ran for a position on the Forsan School Board in 1967, and won. She was the first woman to ever run for such a position and she served for 6 years. She and her husband, both 81 years of age, still enjoy deer hunting.

By the way, historical sources indicate that when the school first opened in 1928, it had only 2 rooms, with only 2 teachers, Martha and Daisey Ross from Houston (they were sisters). By the next year, the school had grown significantly, and it had a superintendent, Mr. J.B. Bolin, and 5 teachers. By the time 1933 arrived, Mr. L.L. Martin was superintendent and FHS had its first graduating class, composed of Ruth Costin, Earlene Fielder, Paul Fulton, Roland Howard, O.W. Scudday, Lillian Thames and Ila Young. In 1946, when the Chalk School consolidated with the Forsan School, we really began to grow "big time." We certainly were in "high cotton" in 1948 when we moved into our brand new genuine brick school building. The Forsan Common School District, as it was called back then, had come a long, long way, and, of course, our alma mater has come a lot further over these last 50 years since 1948. (Goodness gracious…can it really be that many years??)

Clif Ferguson ’36, now a resident of Houston with his wife, Dale, is uniquely blessed with special memories of not only Forsan, but of Chalk and Ross City as well. You see, he not only was a very fine school teacher (as also was Dale) at Forsan, but he was a student and graduate from there as well. Clif attended school also at Chalk and he and his family lived in Ross City. Regarding Ross City, Clif probably has forgotten more about the town than most of us ever knew. He can relate a lot of stories about what life was like in Ross City back in its heyday. Harvey’s Drug Store and Café apparently was quite an interesting place. Several say it essentially was a beer joint, where, although liquor sales were generally illegal, except with a prescription, a lot of drinking took place, along with dancing, etc. Clif has told about the time, when he was just knee high to a jackrabbit, how he sneaked out of his house and went over to the "drug store" to watch the dancing. He thought that was pretty fun until his mother found out where he had been and he got in a heap of trouble. He also has told the story about Windy Winn, the owner of the Gulf service station there (who apparently was sort of the "unofficial mayor" of Ross City) and how he used to stand out in front of his station each morning shouting "buy that good Gulf gasoline." A lot of stories exist about not only "Nell’s Place," the so-called honky-tonk of the town, but also about how Ross City was quite a boom town…with a couple of hotels, a jail, 3 grocery stores, 2 service stations, some cafes and also several other businesses.

Another alumnus who could tell you plenty about the history of Forsan is Bob Wash ’47. He was born on the Clay lease in 1930, within a mile of Forsan’s discovery well, and, except for the time he was in the armed services during WWII and away for college, he has lived in Forsan all his life. His dad, after working for Humble Oil for several years, started a grocery store in Forsan, and Bob grew up right next to their store, the town’s café, the barbershop and Castleman’s drug store. He tells of when they were kids how he and his brother used to ride their bicycles all over town and how the townspeople would tell their mother everything they had done. The family later was in the well servicing business and continues in the oil production business. The Wash family has done much for the betterment of the community over these many years.

Loy Pike ’58, after reading the story about Jiggs Holcombe in our last newsletter (how he was a WWII POW in the notorious German Stalag 17-B, was missing in action and how his family and friends had his funeral before he later returned home alive), said he remembered Jiggs as a big jolly man. Loy said they pronounced his name "Hawkum."

Surviving members of the classes listed below will be celebrating their 25 and 50 year anniversaries of their graduation this year.

Class of 1973: Ronald Allen, Della Ashton, Kathy Bailey, Jeannie Box, Tommy Brumley, Kevin Calley, James Chadwell, Darrisa Crooks, Dennis Day, Pam Hagan, Bob Highley, Rudy Holguin, Kim Kuykendall, Judy Lane, John McDiffit, Joe Miranda, Gayle Moore, David Moreno, Steve Mundell, Mike Murphy, Benny Pickett, Kathy Pickett, Richard Pitts, Kathy Reed, Asa Reefschneider, Daryl Richardson, Tony Thixton and Robert Wash.

Class of 1948: James Averett, Wenoka Bedell, Kenneth Barnes, Billy Calley, Lloyd Claxton, Doylene Gilmore, Don Gressett, J.B. Hicks, Jr., Eddy Ray King, Patty Lou King, Bill Leonard, Evelyn Martin, Lucy McChristian, Tildon McMahan, Gwendolyn Oglesby.

Also, recognition should be given to a class that is making a special effort to keep in contact with each other…the Class of 1971. Thanks to the dedication and commitment of Rodney Hammack ’71, the class has its own newsletter and also a web site designated "Whatever Happened to the Class of 1971." Way to go, Class of ’71!!!

Several of our former teachers were requested to share with us some of their memories of their teaching experience and time spent in Forsan. Following are the contents of their letters.

"In August of 1946, we moved to Forsan, a place we’d never heard of before. Coming from East Texas, it was quite different to be able to see such a long way in any direction, with no trees to mar the view. There was, however, the eternal wind, and the dust studded with whiterock pebbles.

"Bob was hired to coach six-man football, and I to teach in the elementary grades.

"The first game he coached was also the first six-man football game he had ever seen. The team had a great season until the last game when Water Valley burst their bubble by trouncing them 48-0.

"I remember we once had a family of skunks under the school. Mr. Kennedy backed a bus up to the building, attached a hose to the exhaust, and proceeded to gas them. He got rid of the skunks, but then we were infested with the fleas they left behind.

"Our years in Forsan were memorable ones. It was a small place, but it was filled with wonderful people."

"My memories of Forsan High School are all pleasant. I went back into the classroom the Fall of 1951, when Susan (my daughter) entered the first grade, and taught through the spring of 1981. I was away two years while I taught at Howard College. I was Forsan’s ‘Math Department’ for 26 enjoyable years.

"H.K. wanted me to tell about ‘Ketchup Kate.’ While they were in high school, he, Danny Wash and Hubert Bardwell retrieved a discarded mannequin, dressed it as a woman, took all my ketchup, found a damaged bicycle in the dump and placed the figure in the bar-ditch on Highway 87. The next day, police from Big Spring came to see Mr. Romans, high school principal, since motorists had been reporting the ‘accident.’

"I think about Patsy Gooch as having an iron-clad stomach. When our hot peppers were ready to pick, I brought her a sack of them. She promptly broke it open and ate some right in the middle of the hall and never coughed or perspired.

"Frankie Bedell was a freshman. She stood in front of my desk after school, wringing her hands with tears running down her cheeks and lamenting, ‘Mrs. Elrod, I just can’t do algebra.’ I persuaded her to give it a little more time. She very successfully took all four years of math and the last I heard she was in the banking business.

"Nancy Jo Anderson, as a member of the Future Teachers Association, was coached to teach my Algebra 1 class while I was out of town. One of her ‘friends’ put a tape recorder in the desk drawer and embarrassed her by playing it back to her.

"I have fond memories of Ernie Morgan and the Roberson twins. We tried so hard to win slide-rule at the state level…but we never did.

"The years were memorable. The teachers were friends, the administration was helpful, the students were proud of their school and everyone had the same goal…the best education possible for the students.

"Leon, I had penciled in a paragraph that I had chosen to leave out, but H.K. said I should send it to you anyway:

"I remember the preparation-room discussion when the newspaper printed the fact that Leon Calley had made the Dean’s List in College. The teachers were incredulous! You had spent four years sitting in a classroom, passing, but not putting out much effort. We all decided that high school just had not challenged you. (Right?)"

"It is really great to have an opportunity to ‘speak’ to Forsan graduates. The teaching experience was such a pleasure. Students were receptive; parents and school board were supportive; faculty members were professional and helpful to this beginning teacher. The school district was also blessed with adequate resources and facilities. Believe me this is a plus. Joe Holladay was the ideal superintendent as he nurtured our growth as teachers.

"I won’t mention a lot of names as I would surely omit too many, but please know how much we appreciate the lifelong friends made among students, faculty and community. I still consider Dale Ferguson my ‘best friend in all the world.’

"Forsan was a wonderful place to live when we had our daughter, Rita. It was as if the entire community adopted her. Although she didn’t start school in Forsan, she had developed positive attitudes toward school there. On her first day of school, her daddy simply showed her which door to enter.

"I hope all of you continue to cherish Forsan ties as we do."

"At the time Leon and I talked he suggested that I might write of some interesting event, or some funny occasion, or some fond memory. I have all of these but instead I chose to write a brief tribute to the students, parents and faculty of the Forsan Schools.

"It has been nearly fifty years since I first taught in Forsan. Much like high school students who graduate from a school and always feel like they belong to that high school, I have that same feeling for Forsan. It was our first teaching position, and Betty and I spent almost half of our teaching careers in Forsan. Although the entire time that we taught was a happy and fulfilling experience, the last half of my career did not compare to the time we spent in Forsan.

"There were some sad times and some unhappy times, but burning through all of this are the memories of the close association that I experienced with our students; the cooperation and support that our school received from the parents; and faculty members who became like family to us.

"I know that I made many mistakes while trying to become a school person and hopefully I did some things right, but this I do know: I made more lifetime friends with students, parents and teachers than at any other time. For this I want to thank you one and all."

Betty and Merritt Romans also shared some of their funny and fond memories:

• Upon starting to school, Helen Jo Holladay listing what she would buy with her first paycheck. After all, everyone she knew was paid to go to school.
• Nan Holladay dressing as if she were going to a style show and taking her bird when she went to the storm cellar.
• Emily Elrod’s thick, rich cream she always furnished for suppers.
• Kevin Gandy saying "It is Santa Claus" when daddy Ronnie did not play the part. He had told his friends "That’s not Santa Claus…that’s my daddy."
• Clif Ferguson dragging nine-month pregnant Dale to the storm cellar. Dale said "No more."
• Sue Jones peering over a wall at diners all the way down a cafeteria serving line. (This was on a track trip.)
• All of the men in the community staying up all night in the rain looking for Kenneth Soles who had run away all the way to the attic of his own home. School was dismissed the next day.
• Mr. Holladay jumping on a noisy class only to find out it was his class.
• Bob Honeycutt setting matches on fire in his pocket during a football game.
• Ham Elrod, as the announcer, saying "Now ain’t that a hell of a play" as he did the play-by-play for a football game. Son H.K. was the offending player. Ham also asked everyone to stand and join in singing "The Star Spangled Bangles."
• Margaret Gressett declaring that Walter could remember things that happened 100 years ago.
• Rita Romans showing up at the neighbors the night after Halloween to trick or treat again.
• The pep squad singing "Old McDonald" at a Garden City basketball game. Coach McDonald of Garden City was impressed with Forsan’s version of the song. "Old McDonald had a team, with a thump thump here and a thump thump there…etc." James Blake was one of the writers of that song.
• And there was the time that Mr. Murphy, Garden City principal, told Merritt that because of a light pole being down that the Garden City - Sterling City game was being changed to an afternoon game. Forsan, having an open night, turned out school early so that we could all go to the game. Right, no pole down; no afternoon game. (We really did have good and fun relationships with the schools in our area.)
• Mr. Holladay was at a meeting of superintendents the day Merritt turned school out because of the snow. Before time for school to start the sun was out and kids were all over town.
• Arlen White placed the plastic worm in Betty Monroney’s trout dinner.

Thanks so much to these positively excellent former teachers and administrators for their willingness to share a few of their memories with us.

By the way, after I asked Frances Honeycutt to share some of her memories with us, I began to spell out the street name "Oak Thicket" in my mailing address so she would know where to send her response. She stopped me half way through and said, "Leon, I know I was an elementary school teacher and you probably think I can’t spell, but I really do know how to spell." I may think twice in the future about spelling my street name out to people on the phone, as I have been doing for many years.

Evelyn Monroney Cowley ’43 legitimately can be called a pioneer of Forsan. She has lived in Forsan for about 58 years. She is still living in the same house where she and her late husband, Bob Cowley, were married some 50 years ago. She has said that probably her biggest significant accomplishment was to have 2 children. You see, Evelyn has been paralyzed from the waist down (because of polio) for almost 54 years. The last we heard, her daughter, Brenda, was teaching and coaching at Fannin Middle School in Amarillo, and her son, Steve, was an information systems analyst with GTE in the Dallas area. Evelyn has been active in First Baptist Church for many, many years, and she directed junior and intermediate Training Union classes for years. She was voted Outstanding Member of the Forsan Study Club for the period 1962-63, and was on the Yearbook Committee. Evelyn said that she and her late husband Bob traveled in more than 30 states on vacations during their 37 years together. She also attended business school in Big Spring after she graduated from FHS. Evelyn has many fond memories of her time at FHS, and she is glad she had the opportunity to attend a small school where she knew almost everyone and the people genuinely cared for each other. She also remembers having great teachers. We wish Evelyn the very best.

Since our last newsletter, which was published in the Spring of 1996, we requested that all former students, teachers and close friends of FHS (who had not previously completed one of our information questionnaires or survey forms) provide certain personal information which could be used for inclusion in this newsletter. Many responded to our request. While we don’t have room in this newsletter to share all of it, here’s at least some of the information provided...

Nancy Anderson Allen ’67, a radiographer at the Arlington Cancer Center, lives in Grand Prairie with her husband of 29 years, Mickey Allen, who is a ‘64 graduate of Stanton High. She is very involved in church activities and also sings in a group called Joyful Hearts. They have 2 children. She has an associate degree from Odessa College.

Pattie Howard Anderson ’92, resides in Temple with her husband Robert Anderson. She is a physical therapist assistant at Scott & White Hospital. She holds an A.S. degree, with emphasis in athletic training from Howard College, and an A.A.S. degree from Odessa College.

John (Jack) Barber ’38 and his wife Katherine reside in San Antonio. Bet you didn’t know that he participated in the invasion of Iwo Jima in 1945. He also retired as a petroleum engineer in 1984. They have 5 children and 9 grandchildren. He holds a B.S. degree in petroleum engineering from Texas Tech.

Jerry Bardwell ’60, who is a Police Academy Director at Grayson County College, lives in Pottsboro. Jerry previously was a coach at Hermleigh and Wylie high schools, before later serving as a police officer in Richardson and Plano. He has 3 children and 2 grandchildren. Jerry holds a B.S. in physical education from Sul Ross and a B.S. in criminal justice from Sam Houston State.

Murl Bailey ’58 and his wife Darlene live several miles out of College Station. He is a veterinary toxicologist, teaches in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M, does research and consults in the area of toxicology, and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Toxicology. He has been at Texas A&M for almost 28 years. He has 4 children and 6 grandchildren. Murl served on active duty with the U.S. Army from 1968-70, and is still active in the U.S. Army Reserve. He is a Colonel in the Veterinary Corps. Murl holds a D.V.M. degree from Texas A&M, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Iowa State.

Bonnie Martin Billings ’86 and her husband Duane Billings reside in Seagraves. She is a teacher and coach and they have 1 child. She has a B.S. degree from West Texas State.

Hubert Butler ’46 and his wife La Nelle live in Georgetown. He quit school in 1944 to join the U.S. Navy during WWII but later returned to graduate from FHS. His varied career includes working for Gulf Oil and Nucorp Energy, being a Job Corps instructor, real estate salesman, assistant principal, and an elementary school teacher before retiring in 1993. They have 2 children and 1 granddaughter. He holds a B.S. from West Texas State and a M.Ed. from Southwest Texas State.

Ida Mae Camp did not attend FHS, but is a longtime friend of the school and a longtime resident of Forsan. She is retired and her husband is deceased. She has 3 children and 5 grandchildren.

Debbie Martin Churchwell ’75 lives in Big Spring with her husband Dennis Churchwell. They have 2 children. Debbie holds a B.S. degree, with emphasis in health, physical education and recreation, from West Texas State, and is a physical education teacher at Coahoma Elementary.

Lloyd Claxton ’48 and his wife Virginia reside in Big Spring. They have 3 children and are very involved in church. Lloyd enjoys singing in Christian related functions. He is retired from the U.S. Postal Service.

Orvil Creelman ’39 lives in Sundown with his wife of 56 years, Eva. They have not only 2 daughters and 4 grandchildren, but also 7 great grandchildren. Orvil enlisted in the U.S. Air Corps before the U.S. entered WWII and served for the duration of the war. He later worked in the oil field, obtained his commercial flying license and flew spray planes for 3 years. He also was a flight instructor for several years. He still has a small plane. Orvil retired as a Field Foreman in 1986 after working for Getty Oil Co. for 39 years doing field and electrical work.

Evelyn Martin Delatour ’48 lives in Big Spring. She is Secretary/Cashier, Parole Division, Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Evelyn has 1 son and 2 grandchildren. She has an A.A. degree in secretarial science.

Gloria Dodd Dunn ’71 and her husband Craig Dunn live in Henderson, Nevada. They have 2 daughters. The last we heard she was a teacher, housewife and was going to court reporting school. She holds a B.A. degree (Math and English) from Angelo State.

Marie Petty Ethridge ’51 resides in Coahoma with her husband Bob Ethridge, who is a nephew of the late Coach Honeycutt. They have 1 daughter, who is a teacher at Big Spring H.S. Marie retired after 30 years of teaching at Coahoma H.S., but still is involved in ranching. She has a B.B.A. degree from Texas Tech. She was on the Junior/Senior trip destined for Yellowstone that only made it as far as Salt Lake City because of snow. The next year the seniors limited their trip to a Texas destination. Highlights of her teaching career include the times when several of her Office Education students won first place in national competition.

Joe Fields ’58 lives in Texas City with his wife Dolores Ann. They have 3 children and 4 grandchildren. Joe is a science teacher. His hobbies include growing orchids and fishing (and he lives where the fishing is good, so no excuses, Joe). He holds a B.S. degree in biology.

Jerry Fowler ’53 and his wife Kay reside in Marlow, Oklahoma. He retired in 1993 as regional manager in sales for an orthopedic company. Jerry has lived in many places during his career in sales, including Miami, Florida. While living in Odessa, he was elected to the school board. He has taught courses at ETSU, Tarrant County Junior College and Cameron College (in Lawton, OK). Jerry was unable to make the last reunion because 1 of his 2 daughters was being made queen in the Oklahoma high schools all-state football game. He also has 2 stepsons and 4 grandchildren. He has a B.B.A. in marketing from UT-Austin and M.B.A. in management from ETSU.

Randle Fowler and his wife Sandra live in Taylor, where he is operations manager for an electrical contractor. Randle’s last year at FHS was 1957. The last we heard, his daughter, Andrea Gee, was teaching at Forsan School. He has 5 children and 3 grandchildren.

Tommy Girdner ’67 lives in Glen Allen, Virginia with his wife Mary Anne. They have 4 children. He is a mechanical engineer and is a senior project manager. Tommy has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M.

Rodney Hammack ’71 and his wife Ann reside in Plano. They have 2 children and 3 grandchildren. He attended Howard College on a journalism scholarship and then began a career in radio, working at several radio stations. Rodney then joined the Army National Guard, and later attended Fresno State where he received his business degree. He then went to work for EDS in 1989. Rodney recently competed for the title of "Non Commisioned Officer Of the Year" for the 49th Armored Division in Austin. He previously won the title of NCO of the Year for the 3rd Brigade, beating out over 12,000 other soldiers.

Silvia Holguin Hasak ’75 and her husband John Gilbert Hasak live in Cape Coral, Florida. She has 3 children, 2 of whom are stepchildren, and also 1 grandchild. Silvia is a Community Services Counselor for Lee County Government, and works with families that contain an HIV+ member (assists with job training, medical needs, drug rehab, etc.). While we don’t have space to detail the many ways Silvia demonstrates her servanthood toward so many people who are desperately in need of her help, I must mention that one of the highlights of her career was when she was included in a PBS documentary (aired during 1997) entitled 12 Hours with Aids. She graduated magna cum laude from Texas A&M with a B.A. in political science.

Frances Honeycutt, one of our terrific former teachers who retired in 1982 after 37 years of teaching, lives in Monahans. She was married to Bob Honeycutt, former FHS coach, who passed away in 1978. 2 of her 3 sons are also head coaches…Pat at McCallum High in Austin, and Mike at Pflugerville High. Mike also has served as President of the Texas High School Coaches Association. Steve is a manager with Power Supply Co. in Austin. Frances also has 10 grandchildren. She taught in Forsan’s elementary grades from 1946 through 1957. Thank you Frances for your many years of service at Forsan School.

& Lottie Bell Thorp Inscore ’34 lives with her husband Jewel Inscore in Bakersfield, California. Jewel is an old high school boyfriend from Big Spring she met up with following the deaths of her 2 previous husbands. She has 8 children, 4 of whom are stepchildren. Lottie Bell was a telephone operator in Artesia, New Mexico before she retired. She has many memories of good old FHS, e.g., how much fun they had on their senior trip when Mr. Martin drove the bus; Mr. Molechek, the principal, being her date for her senior banquet; and having to ride the school bus 20 miles each way every school day.

Ellabeth Story Jeffreys ’60 and her husband Darryl Jeffreys reside in Midland. Her teaching career was spent primarily in the area of Gifted Education. She retired after 30 years of teaching. Ellabeth holds a B.S. from Sul Ross.

Sherry Walraven Keisling resides in Lubbock. Her last year at FHS was 1967. She is self-employed in the environmental, health and safety field. She has 2 children and 2 grandchildren.

G.D. Kennedy, who was Forsan School’s superintendent from 1946 through 1951, lives in Whitney. His wife Cora Virginia is deceased. Mr. Kennedy was in the field of public school administration for many years. He has 2 children, 5 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. He holds a masters degree. He was the one who got the skunks out from under the old school building during the ‘40s (see our 1996 newsletter and page 5 of this newsletter for the story).

John Harvey Kennemur ’59 and his wife Winnifred returned to Big Spring in 1996, after having moved from there many years ago to live in Levelland and Littlefield. He was District Superintendent with Energas before retiring during 1996, following a 33˝ year career with the same company. They have 2 sons…one who owns Kenn Construction Co. and the other who is Chief Pharmacist at Wal-Mart… and 1 grandson.

Norma Dawes Kidd ’51 lives in Odessa, where she has resided for around 27 years. Her late husband, C. Gean Kidd, passed away in 1984. She has 1 daughter and 2 granddaughters. Inspired by Mr. Goad’s bookkeeping class, Norma worked for Montgomery Ward in the service, catalog and credit departments. She also worked for Cosden, a cotton gin office, an accounting firm and a brick company. In 1971, she moved to Odessa from Arkansas. She served as financial and church secretary at a local Baptist church. Yes, after all of that, she is retired.

Kim Allen Long ‘79 and his wife Dotty live in El Paso. They have 1 daughter and, the last we heard, they were in the process of adopting another child. He has been a truck driver with UPS for about 14 years.

Bennie McChristian ’45 and his wife Betty live in Big Spring. He retired in 1984 from Fina Oil & Chemical and now spends much of his time raising pecans and garden vegetables. They have 3 children and 4 grandchildren.

Howard McChristian ’57 resides in Denham Springs, Louisiana with his wife Hauna. They have 5 children and 13 grandchildren. Although he retired after 30 years as an instrument technician with Sid Richardson Carbon Co., he is now self employed…a Hot-Shot owner/operator.

Barbara Smallwood McConnell ’87 and her husband Ike McConnell reside in Big Spring. Barbara is a housewife and has a business certificate from Howard College.

Mary F. Oglesby McGowan ’44 lives in Hobbs, New Mexico. She has 1 daughter and 2 grandsons. Mary is semi-retired, and says what she does best is retire. After all, she retired from Marathon Oil in 1986 and then from Norwest Trust in 1994. She also is single.

Bettye Conger Meason ’64 is a junior high school teacher in the Mineral Wells ISD and resides in Fort Worth. She says she "will never accomplish the teaching years my Mom, Clarie Conger, accomplished." She has 2 children, one of whom was living in Paris, France the last we heard. Bettye went to Paris for a visit a couple of summers back. She holds a B.S. degree from Angelo State.

Lupe Cevallos Miller ’65 and her husband Tim Miller live in Midland. They have 2 children. Lupe is a teacher and has a B.S. degree from Penn State.

Debra Fraley Morman ’74 and her husband Kelly Morman reside in Lubbock. They have 2 children. She is a paralegal in the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Emily Elrod Munn, one of our wonderful former Forsan teachers, lives in San Angelo. Her previous husbands, Hamlin Elrod and Wayne Munn, are deceased. Emily’s son, H.K. Elrod ’63, lives in Salt Lake City. Her daughter, Susan Elrod Alexander ’65, who resides in Forsan, was instrumental in putting some life back into our FHS reunions several years ago when interest had begun to fade. Emily holds B.S. and M.A. degrees in mathematics from SMU. For more details of her career, see the Teachers’ Letters section on page five of this newsletter.

Allen Nichols ’81 resides with his wife Cara in Big Spring. They have 2 children. He attended Howard College and he is with HVAC Sales and Service.

Bobbie Ruth Henderson Nix ’56 and her husband Larry Nix live in Big Spring. They have 3 children and 3 grandchildren. She was presented the Forsan Service Club Award in 1951. She is a wife, mother, grandmother, skin care consultant, involved in farming and ranching, etc. Are you sure you have enough to do to keep busy, Bobbie Ruth?

Don Nix ’34 and his wife Etta Belle Fulton Long Nix ’37 (since 10/9/95) live in Teague. He was an operator for Phillips Petroleum and she was a beauty operator and secretary before they retired. He has 3 children and 7 grandchildren.

Harold "Pat" Patterson ’40 lives in Odessa with his wife Mary Tom. They have 2 children and 4 grandchildren. He took early retirement in 1978 after working 32 years for Sun Oil as a petroleum engineer. Pat then became president of HLP Consultants, Inc. in Casper, Wyoming, but retired again in 1984 and returned to Texas. He graduated from Texas Tech in 1945 with a B.S. - Petroleum degree.

Mary Ann Fairchild Phillips ’55 and her husband Raymond Phillips reside in Big Spring. She has 1 daughter and 2 grandchildren. Her previous husband was killed in an accident in 1990. She married Raymond in 1993 and moved from Odessa to Big Spring. She works as a part-time secretary for her husband at Phillips Machine Shop, Inc.

Loy Dean Pike ’58 lives in Buchanan, Michigan. He teaches Microbiology at the University of Indiana at the South Bend Campus. Loy also enjoys horses and has several. As a matter of fact, he got kicked by one a couple of years back and ended up with a broken arm. He broke it again splitting firewood for the winter. Loy spent about 8 years at the University of Texas in Austin and received his Ph.D. in 1973.

Peggy Painter Plew ’49 and her husband Billy Plew live in Big Spring. She is a bookkeeper with Specs & Company. They have 4 children and 6 grandchildren.

Sammie Porter ’44 and his wife Marjorie Oglesby Porter ’45 reside in Oklahoma City. He is retired from Conoco, where he was Division Drilling Superintendent. They enjoy golf, travel and fishing. She is a housewife and a substitute teacher. They were married in 1947 and have 2 daughters and two grandsons. She spent 2 years at West Texas State and 1 year at Central State in Edmond, Oklahoma. Sammie joined the Navy at age 17 after graduation. He had hoped to go into the Navy Air Force, but could not pass the physical. You see, before he left for service, he and Darnell Peacock ’45 had a motorcycle wreck and messed up his knee. Sammie spent his military career in the regular Navy in the Pacific. He made Iwo Jima and participated in the invasion of Japan. While in Okinawa, a Japanese suicide plane flew through the side of his ship (L.S.T. 534) and sank it in the bay. All the men below deck were lost, but he was in a gun tub and it blew him out into the water. Sammie survived and, after a stay in the hospital, eventually was discharged in 1946.

Frances Neill Ramsey ’45 and her husband Bill Ramsey live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They have 3 children and 2 grandchildren. She went to business school and retired following her occupation as a lease clerk for Phillips Petroleum, Shell Oil and Conoco. Frances has fond memories of Mr. and Mrs. Chalk, the Chalk School and Sunday School at the church in Chalk. She especially remembers "the examples of hard work, honesty and diligent reading of the Star Telegram from folks, Lucile and Frank Neill…just a pumper and a homemaker."

Dee Arvin Ratliff spent most of his school years (‘48 - 50s) at Forsan before leaving for the "big city" (Big Spring). He was and still is known as "Cocoa" by many of his friends and acquaintances. He was a truckdriver and salesman for most of his career and retired not too many years ago. He has 1 son.

John Weldon Ratliff ’56 and his wife Mary Beth Yates Ratliff ’59 live in Fort Worth. John Weldon took medical retirement in 1996 after working for Eagle Mountain Saginaw ISD for 19 years. He was head custodian for the elementary school. Mary Beth is a computer specialist with Western Currency Facility, Bureau of Engraving and Printing. She has responsibility for all computer systems, PCS, telephones, PBX systems and various other data/communications machines at the facility. She also trains individuals to use the mainframe system. Mary Beth has been with the federal government for almost 37 years, as she previously worked at Webb AFB and Carswell AFB. They have 2 sons, both of whom have degrees.

Gwen Oglesby Rippey ’48 resides in Austin with her husband Donald Rippey. While Gwen is still involved in education, she retired about five years ago from Austin Community College (35,000 students), where she served as Vice President. They have 4 children and 5 grandchildren. She also has B.B.A., M.B.A. and Ph.D. degrees. They have really enjoyed traveling over the years throughout all the states and many places around the world. They were in Africa a few years back where they had to pitch their own tents, prepare their own food and live in the wilds. They also visited some 9 different countries and saw just about every kind of wild animal, including the silver-back gorilla. They fortunately missed, but by only 4 weeks, being in the middle of the terrible massacre of tribes that occurred in the area of Rwanda and Zaire. They also have traveled to Brazil, Argentina, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Australia and, a little over 2 years ago, Nepal. On their Nepal trip, they ran into a dangerous storm coming down Mt. Everest at 9,000 feet, and were delayed from getting out by helicopter for 3 days. Some of their acquaintances on Everest were not so fortunate, as you may recall from the news reports. A little over a year ago they went to Turkey and Greece.

David Roberson ’65 and his wife JoeLean (Jody) Dodd Roberson ’66 reside in Crane. He is business manager for Crane ISD and has degrees from Howard College and Texas Tech. She has been a secondary math teacher for about 25 years and has a B.S. degree in education from Texas Tech. They have 2 daughters and 2 grandsons.

Lucie Jacobs Roberson ’54 and her husband Robert Roberson ’54 live in Big Spring. She is a secretary at Howard College and he is the business manager for Stanton ISD. They have 3 children and 5 grandchildren. She has an A.A. degree and he has a B.B.A. from Texas Tech.

Yvonne Pike Roberts ’55 is married and lives in El Dorado, Arkansas. She has taught school, as she has her degree in education from UT-Permian Basin, but much of her career has consisted of being a devoted housewife. Her husband is retired and they have 3 children and 4 grandchildren.

Nova Holloway Scudday lives in Eastland and was married to O.W. (Woodrow) Scudday, who passed away in June 1995. She has a daughter, Ginny Dee Scudday Mathews ’59, also of Eastland, 2 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. The last year she attended FHS was 1936. She worked in the Forsan School Business Office and was Tax Assessor/Collector during the period 1962-1982.

Don Simpson ’65 lives in Coppell with his wife Paula. He is a U.S. Customs Passenger Service Representative at DFW Airport. He has a bachelors degree from UT-Austin. Don was selected to accompany the presidential entourage on a trip to Moscow, Russia in May 1995.

Lance Soles ’87 resides in Anton with his wife Cheryl. He is a self employed truckdriver. They have 2 children.

Larry Stockton ’51 lives in Big Spring with his wife Jane. He is a rancher and also has been retired from Fina Oil since 1989. They have 2 children and 4 grandchildren.

James Thompson ’35 resides in Snyder with his wife Frances. They have 2 daughters and 2 grandchildren. He was a petroleum engineer for Chevron before retiring. He holds a B.S. degree in petroleum engineering from Texas Tech. James served in the U.S. armed services during WWII. He went through the Fort Stockton Army Primary Flight School in 1942-43, flew the "Hump" between India and China in 1944-45 and also received several decorations including 2 air medals. The last we heard he was still an active pilot. He had flown his own plane to Alaska a few years back.

Sheryl Fraley Tucker ’76 lives in Lubbock. She has a son. She is an Investigative Assistant with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

James Underwood ’36 lives in Midland. He has 2 children and 2 grandchildren. James was a purchasing agent for Conoco before retiring. He was an original member of the school band that generated the first musical sound heard on Midland’s KCRS AM radio station.

Mary Jo Simpson Walker ’67 resides in Princeton with her husband Roy. She has 1 son from a previous marriage. She works for the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services. She holds an A.A. degree from Howard College.

Danny Wash ‘63 and his wife Paula Gordon Wash ‘64 reside in Waco. They have 4 children. He is an attorney with his firm Wash & Thomas, Attorneys. Danny has B.S. and J.D. degrees from Baylor. Paula also holds a B.A. degree from Baylor. She is primarily occupied with home and family responsibilities.

Ira Lee Watkins was a social studies teacher at FHS from 1933-1941. He lives in Midland. He retired following a teaching career that spanned many years and was completed in the Midland ISD in 1977. He has 1 living daughter and 4 grandchildren. He holds B.A. and M.A. degrees from Texas Tech.

Bebe Johnson Weaver ’41 lives in Austin. Her husband T.D. Weaver is deceased. She was a secretary with the Texas State Teachers Association before retiring. She has 2 daughters and 1 grandson.

Vicki Beeson Willis ’68 lives in Lubbock. She is a correctional officer with the State of Texas. She has 1 son.

R.L. Wilson and his wife Fay live in Brownwood. He did not graduate from FHS but his last year there was 1933. He was an oil field worker for 41 years with the same company before retiring. R.L. was born in Big Spring in 1915 and he and Fay were married almost 63 years ago in 1935. Their only child is deceased, but they have 4 grandchildren.

Ruby McCluskey Wood ‘43 lives in Zephyr with her husband Curtis. She was a tax appraiser before retiring.

Although it is almost a certainty that we are not aware of some of the recent deaths of our alumni, teachers and those close to Forsan School, reported below are those that we do have…

• Hurshell L. Moody, 04/96
• Carla Dedmon, 25, 07/96
• Diane Wash, 42, 07/96
• Delmer Klahr, 67, 07/96
• Helen Oglesby, 85, 07/96
• Anita Shoults, 79, 07/96
• Margaret Box Hollis, 10/96
• Virginia Irene Ashley, 77, 01/97
• Eugene Smith, 68, 02/97
• Elizabeth "Libby" Asbury, 75, 03/97
• Pam Christian, 34, 03/97
• Donald Lee Murphy, 64, 03/97
• Calvin J. Sewell, 03/97
• Joreene Beeson, 68, 04/97
• Opal Snelling, 93, 04/97
• Meagan Shea Stanley, 17, 04/97
• Earl Beason, 74, 05/97
• Georgia K. Jones Johnson, 06/97
• Fannie L. Overton, 96, 06/97
• Dorothy Hassell, 88, 07/97
• D.E. "Coots" Scudday, 76, 07/97
• E.M. "Rip" Bailey, 81, 09/97
• Lennodine Pike Dunlap 10/97
• Angel Miranda, 36, 10/97
• Brad Soles, 22, 10/97
• Carroll T. Cannon, 66, 12/97
• Mary Anne Hartin, 63, 12/97
• Tom Henry, 60, 12/97
• Katherine T. McNallen, 83, 01/98

Two FHS boys decided to go out one night and have a good time instead of studying for a science test scheduled for the next morning. They had a "great" plan. One would spend the night at the other’s house, they would ride together in one of the boy’s cars the next morning, and not show up in time to take the test. They later went to the teacher, claiming they had a flat tire and were unable to get it fixed in time to make class. The boys then asked if they could take the test the next day, and the teacher said that would be fine. Time came for the test, and the teacher put each boy in a separate room. The boys were all smiles, as they were answering questions right and left, and thinking about how they had really pulled the wool over the teacher’s eyes. Then each boy eventually got to the last question, worth 50 points or one-half of the test. The question read, "Which tire was flat?"

As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in public schools.

Well, it’s time to put the tools on the wagon. Thanks again to all of you who provided information for this newsletter. Lookin’ forward to seeing y’all in August.

Yours truly