October 21-22, 2005

Reflections of the Eye: No, we don’t look the same 45 years later.

Reflections of the Mind: We remember the past, the good, the bad, and the uncertainty of the future.

Reflections of the Heart: Some of our classmates are no longer with us in body, but we remember them in our heart.

As we reflect back over the 45 years since graduation, many memories come to mind. Some were funny, some were sad, some down right tragic. However, we can never forget that we were part of history in the making. As the city of Little Rock and Central High School prepare for the 50^th Anniversary of the Integration of LRCHS in 1957, I am sure that many of us remember our first day at Central High. In fact our whole sophomore year was pretty unbelievable. But what a mess our junior year turned out to be. I am sure that all of us have memories of the year that wasn’t. Then we returned to Central High in 1959. We should all be proud that we were part of returning Central High School to its place of prominence in the city and state. Lots of changes have taken place since 1960. When we visited Central for lunch, we saw the new “reflecting pool” that has replaced the “fish pond,” when we were there, and more recently, a concrete slab.

We had a great 45th Reunion. People enjoyed each of the events, and the visit to LRCHS on Saturday with a box lunch in the cafeteria was one of the most meaningful to everyone. You will find below a review of the 45th Reunion events.

It is extremely important to all of the class to keep in touch with each other and with the Reunion Committee as we look toward the 50th Reunion. Please use the website or otherwise to let us know of changes in address and other contact information. We also hope folks will help look for missing members of the class who we have not been able to locate. As always, your comments and suggestions are appreciated.

Our Reunion theme was “Reflections.” But it was more than reflections. Memories flooded back as we greeted each other on Friday night at Cotham’s. Thank goodness for name tags. Before the evening was over, we were looking more and more like the pictures from the Pix. The weather was perfect, the food was good, and classmates kept on talking. A Road Show put together by Albert Campbell and Carolyn Carpenter Dodds was a big hit. Everyone enjoyed seeing pictures from past reunions and those pictures sent in by classmates. We even had some from the 10th Reunion.

Sixteen golfers, including Pat Stegall Collins, met before dawn at the Country Club of Arkansas in Maumelle. As they waited for the sun to come up, deer ran across the course, geese and ducks lifted up off the Arkansas River on their way South. It was a glorious start to a magnificent day. Twenty classmates met Ann Smith Ivey at the Clinton Library for a tour. They were so impressed!

Next on the agenda was a tour of Central High, picture taking on the front steps, and lunch in the cafeteria. We met down front in the auditorium. Memories and reflections came from all directions. Principal Nancy Rousseau gave a brief history of the school since we left. Much has happened. Central is the only high school in America to be a National Park. Money has been spent to keep the school in good repair. Even the “Fish Pond” has been put back – only now it is a “Reflecting Pool.” Mrs. Margaret Dewberry Matson spoke about what happened the year we were not there. She spoke about how wonderful it was when we all came back. She brought tears to our eyes. Lunch was catered in the cafeteria, including a beautiful cake with the picture of Central High arranged by Shirley Burrows Fletcher. It was a work of art but it did not keep us from “digging in.” We were able to tour the school and the Central High School museum at our leisure.

Saturday evening at Pleasant Valley Country Club we were greeted by a Tiger and Mirror as we searched for our name tags. We had a social hour while junior high pictures were taken. The buffet was opened at 7:30, and there was something for everyone. Lots of desserts! The brief program consisted of Joe Joyner awarding the golf prizes. (The AFLAC Duck made quite a splash, thanks to JoAnn Turner Lewis!) Gene (Eugene) Bowman led the “Reflections” part of the program. Pat Stegall Collins, Sammy Wilson, and Carolyn Fisher Waddington shared memories of our senior year. JoAnn Turner Lewis and Annette Jackson Hawkins read the Memorial List. Carolyn Carpenter Dodds made a wonderful Memorial Board with pictures of our deceased classmates. Last but not least Doug Hardin led us in singing the Alma Mater. Blue Velvet, procured by Jack Acre, provided the music for dancing. Decorations on the tables were glass bowls filled with mirrored balls. Favors included a mirrored ball for everyone to take home and a special CD of music from 1957-60. A good time was had by all.

As we look forward to the 50th Class Reunion, we hope that everyone will make a special effort to attend at least one function. For those of us who “did it all,” we wondered if we could spread it out just a little. For instance, have the golf tournament on Friday afternoon.

We welcome comments and ideas – a hotel as a base of operation, a bus for transportation? Your Reunion Committee, who are those in the Little Rock area who have time to work on a particular reunion or event, worries about how to make it a special, meaningful event, even as we have to make decisions about events and arrangements.

We hope that you have enjoyed the website created by Lana Phillips Milan, Shirley Burrows Fletcher, and Jim Gauntt. We will admit that Jim’s daughter gave it a professional look, since that is her business. Our thanks to each of them. It will cost about $110 per year to keep the website up. We hope you think it is worth it.

Please use this website or the contact information below to keep in touch.

The Reunion Committee

To download the mailings for the reunion:

Cover Letter

Agenda

History Information sheet

Reservation Form

Deceased classmates

(Note: to read and print these documents, You need Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can get the current version free at www.adobe.com.)