Classmates of Bolivar Central High - Class of 1968
UPDATE: March 16, 2012:
I regret to report the loss of another of our classmates. David King passed away today at 4pm. I received an email from his brother Stuart. David had been in hospital for a few weeks recovering from a surgical procedure. He had many complications and today he lost his fight. David has two sons. I do not have any additional information at this point. Please send prayers to David's family.
John
UPDATE: Several classmates have shared photos on Album #1 and Album #2. We hope others will add to the collection soon.
I have received many emails and phone call from Classmate about how they enjoyed the reunion and seeing everyone. We all owe our Thanks to the committee members and volunteers that made this event possible. Bonnie Brown, Margaret Crawford, Janie Yeager, Bill Fawcett and James worked on the committe with me and deserve the credit.
We still want to see more Profiles on the Web site. About 80 classmates have computers so it should be easy for them to put up a profile. It does not matter if you attended or not .... the Profile will still help classmates keep in touch. Please take the few minutes it takes to put up a Profile.
Also, there is talk of future reunion. To my knowledge, there are no firm plans yet. We do have a place for you to give YOUR input on what you like or did not like about the one we had and what you may want to see for the next reunion. Please take a few minutes and send us your input.
Lastly, I want to comment on the "spin offs" from this reunion. In addition to seeing each other the day of the event, I am told from classmates about the increase in phone calls, emails and personal visits classmates have had since the reunion. One classmate has been in touch with their family that had lost track so this alone makes all the effort worthwhile.
Remember, this is YOUR website and YOU have the opportunity to help make it grow and improve with your Photos, Profile, and Providing Input. You can use it to keep in touch with each other and help plan the next one. Use it often!
*******************************************************
We hope everyone enjoyed the "60th Birthday Bash" on Saturday.
The events began with several classmates showng up for the High School Tour. Thanks to Margaret for making arrangements with Chris Cranford to open the School and give us complete access so we to see the old and the new parts of the school. We were able to go to Mr. Basden's old Office and hear some funny stories about past trips there. Seems one of our young ladies wore her skirt a bit too high back in the day and was asked by Mr. Basden if she was "expecting the flood waters to rise?". Blake and Judy liked the the old water faucets and gas burners in the Chemistry Lab. We were glad to see the new spacious cafeteria and took photos in the old gym. The lockers are still the same (rusty hinges included). The auditorium has been upgraded and the class photo mounted on the walls. The end of our tour had a pleasant surprise when we ran into Mr. Art Browder. He was an excellent teacher that managed to make Math fun and interesting. He also told a funny story about a former teacher which we will have to save for later.
After the School tour, we meet up with even more classmates at the beautiful home of Margaret and Deryal Crawford. It was easy to find Margaret's home with the big "Class of 1968" sign at her driveway. As we parked and walked up to her home, you could hear the laughter and chattering of a lot of folks already involved in having a great time! I think everyone was surprised at how old looking the "other" classmates were (but of course - not themselves). The hamburgers, BBQ, and drinks hit the spot and we all enjoyed the tasty dessert treats. It was wonderful being able to see some classmates that had not been seen for a long, long time. We all owe Margaret, Deryal, and her support team of Larry Price, Bonnie Leathers, Louise Stallings, and Joyce Smith our thanks for putting together a wonderful DAY event. We may never know the full truth behind Margaret and the Fudge ice cream bar...
The "Birthday Bash" ended with the NIGHT Event Bill Fawcett arranged at Pinnacle Place in Jackson. Classmates and their guests came in and immediately began to socialize again telling old stories (some embellished a bit??) and having some laughs. Thankfully we all recognized each other by reading name tags Janie provided to save some awkward moments. At least one guest however forget to bring "reading glasses" and could not read the name tags so he had to ask a lot of questions. This just added to the fun. Blake White made some brief announcements concerning some of our classmates that wanted to attend but were unable due to medical issues with themselves or loved ones.
A special tribute was given to Jimmy Eubanks. This is a reminder to all of us how important it is for friends to stay in touch with friends. Blake gave a wonderful prayer that was heartfelt and will no doubt provide comfort to those in need of it right now.
The food was served up and everyone seemed to enjoy the delicious meal. Music played in the background as folks talked and caught up on each other lives. France Boyd and others took several groups shots of the classmates. We hope to have the photos posted soon. The dance floor had some hot and some (well not so hot) dancing going on for quite a while. I am sure many a knee and back was sore on Sunday as a result. 60 is the new 39 and many of our classmates were able to demonstrate that we only get better as we get more mature.
We strongly encourage everyone to keep their profiles updated. If you have not yet set up a profile...PLEASE do so. It does not matter if your were able to attend or not... By creating a profile...you can let other classmates know a bit about yourself. If you include a single email on your profile...it will allow others to send a private message to you. We have the "Before" pictures and you may upload a current photo of yourself for the "Now" photo.
Speaking of photos....a lot of folks took digital pictures at the School, Margaret’s, and in Jackson. PLEASE - if you are willing to SHARE the pictures....take time to go to the "PHOTO ALBUM" section of this web site and UPLOAD your photos into an album. Scott Howard and I did an album early on to show an example of how to share Photos. It is fairly easy to do. If you are familiar with FACEBOOK or similar sites it is about the same steps. If you have questions, ask a spouse, as a kid, ask a grandkid and get help you need to upload your pictures. If you still need help...send me an email or call me and I will try to help you out as well. I know there are some great photos saved on cameras out there and I hope all of you will share some of them. A photo is worth a thousand words....We have a total of 31 photos from me, Scott and Manon, and Mary Cook. We can upload 969 more so PLEASE...share your digital photos with your classmates.
Thank again to everyone that came to support this class effort and a BIG thanks to the committee members of
Bonnie Leathers (treasurer);
Janie Yeager (Name Tags, Programs, Decorations;
James Doyle (mailers, phone)
Margaret Crawford (DAY Event Host and Organizer)
Bill Fawcett (NIGHT Event Host and Organizer)
And to our volunteers, Mrs. Louise Stallings (Judy's Mom) and Mrs. Joyce Bishop Smith (my mom) as well as classmates that volunteered for extra help including Larry Price, Bonnie Leathers, Linda Johnson and Blake White. (I hope I have not overlooked anyone...if so please let me know and I will make corrections.
Last but not least....Countless classmates help to locate the names, addresses, phone numbers and mailing addresses of others. This was a huge help in compiling a data base. Thank so much to everyone that helped in this effort. The event could not have happened otherwise.
Hopefully everyone enjoyed the day and the event. I hope this will not be our last event and we do it again before too long.
Thanks!
You may use the "Contact Us" page for questions or comments or call John Bishop at 704 547 0725 or email direct at johnbishop@carolina.rr.com .
