Here We Go...

We're just about mid-point between our 40th and 45th reunions. So it stands to reason that my thoughts turn to surgery, right? Don't yours?! In the 2-1/2 years since we last gathered, many of us have had more interaction with each other than we had in the previous 40 years. Facebook helps us keep up with each other very effectively. We share photos of the grandkids, tales of vacations, funny stories, sad stories, recipes, gossip, job changes, births, deaths, and...repairs on our high-mileage bodies!

I've certainly managed to earn a few trips to the operating room myself. In truth, I have no first-hand knowledge of all those masked faces hovering over me armed with instruments and well-educated brains. By the time they turn their attention to me, I am stone-cold-stoned-deep-in-the-throes-of-drug-induced-stupor. This is good. We live in wonderful times. The idea that all the gruesome things they're doing to whatever part of my body needs patching can be accomplished without any memory on my part is much appreciated. 

I'm not alone here. Thanks to Facebook, I know that MANY of you are doing the same thing - getting parts replaced, patched, removed and/or augmented. Personally, I'm delighted to have been able to live long enough and get enough mileage that I can even BE a candidate for upgrading.

Whatever life has done to our bodies over the course of a lifetime, it's good to know we have each other to commiserate with, to laugh about our experiences with, and to enjoy recovery with. Some of you are recuperating right now, some of you are anticipating repairs, and some of you are even wondering if you should bother.

Well, I think I speak for all your classmates, friends and loved ones when I say "Yes!" Take care of yourself. Life is a precious gift. We want the chance to see you again in 2015 when we gather in Brownwood for another reunion.

We can show off all our new parts...

Mary Beth Groce Smith,

who is extremely pleased to 

not need a wheelchair this time!!

_________________________________________

If you have moved since 2010, please be kind enough to drop me an email and update your contact information. All information is private and not shared with anyone else. It simply allows the 

Reunion Committee to send you mail as we move closer to the next get-together.

mbpierce@alphagraphics.com

Our 40th Reunion - A Weekend to Remember!

It's hard to know where to begin. We had such a magical, wonderful reunion that it's going to take some time to process everything. The memories, reconnecting, food, laughter, fun! What made it special? Everything!

The People: More than we've ever assembled in one place since we left BHS! People flew in from several states, drove from around Texas, ambled over from Brownwood and area, and then there was Uwe Schulz, who arranged his sabbatical from his German university to be here. I've never seen so many people hugging, laughing, taking pictures and having fun!

The Memories: Yearbooks were everywhere, and lots of reminders of times past started plenty of conversations around the room.  Lee Morris led us in a heartwarming tribute to our deceased classmates on Saturday morning as we gathered around the memorial tree we dedicated at the entrance to the beautifully renovated Brownwood High School campus.

The Party:  Tanya Jones and Marsha McMillan led a crew of volunteers to create a setting that brought oohs and aaahs from everyone who walked in! We gathered for appetizers and registration on Saturday night, and the din from the laughter and conversation nearly drowned out the music!  Vicki Cunningham and her volunteers put out a generous barbecue buffet, featuring smoked brisket, sausage, all the trimmings and more desserts than we could finish. Bonnie Schroeder donated custom printed stadium cups featuring our "Back to the Pride" logo to add to the festive feel.  Jerry Sims conducted a completely hilarious auction of Tanya's custom centerpieces, raising some needed money for our Reunion Fund.

The Pictures: Thanks to all those wonderful digital cameras, we have hundreds of photos, which have been surfacing on our various Facebook profiles all week.  It will take me some time to 'harvest' them and get them compiled into an album to go on our class page, so please be patient! Those of us already connected on Facebook have been viewing them and commenting on them for several days, and it has been a blast seeing them!

The Technology: The value of having connected with each other via Facebook and Constant Contact cannot be overstated.  Without question, our dramatic increase in attendance would not have happened otherwise.  However, the greater value lies in how we began getting reacquainted prior to gathering. Some of us have been conversing and reconnecting for over a year, simply because we found each other on Facebook. This allowed us to 'break the ice' well in advance of our reunion date. Another fascinating benefit? The ability to post pictures in real time! During our Friday night dinner at Prima Pasta (we rocked the house, by the way!) we were able to post directly on the FB site in real time, giving those who couldn't make it the ability to feel like they were part of us, even though not present.

I'll have more to say later, but for now, I simply want to say how much it meant to so many people to go back and be the Pride together!!

Let's do it again - 2015 sounds like a good year!

Mary Beth Groce Smith

Dallas, TX



Born in a Small Town

We weren't all born in Brownwood. Whether or not we were born there, or just spent our formative years there, we have found that wherever we go, we encounter somene who knows Brownwood!  Someone once introduced me as being from Brownwood, Texas to a group of people in Boston, and within seconds a man asked me if I'd ever eaten at Underwood's. Uh...yes...  I've never been anywhere that someone didn't know about my hometown.  One time I stopped a man to ask directions at a Greek Orthodox seminary on the East coast. When he responded, I immediately recognized his Texas accent, and within minutes found out he was married to a schoolmate of my daughter from...you guessed it...Brownwood.

No matter whether we were born there, moved there, grew up and left, or stayed there, there's still something fascinating about gathering ourselves back up and being surrounded by the people who shared our youth. 

We may be very different from each other, and may have even grown apart. Yet somehow, we understand each other. We speak the same 'language'.  We know what it's like to be champions, and we know what it's like to know everyone in town - Even if we DON'T know everyone in town anymore!

That's why I keep going back every five years for our class reunion.  It's not fancy, and it's not designed to impress any of us.  Being around my oldest friends for an evening or a weekend just always reminds who I am at heart - a small town girl who lives in the city, but still knows where home is.

I'm proud of that.

Mary Beth Groce Smith

Dallas, TX

Click here to see the reunion schedule: http://tinyurl.com/ReunionSchedule

Grade School Days...

Photo submitted by Kim Dillard Luddy

Hurrah for South Ward!

Hurrah for South Ward!

Someone in the stands is yelling:

"Hurrah for South Ward!"

Do you remember how exciting it was to learn cheers and yell for the mighty Kittens? We knew we were big and bad, and didn't even realize that we were the ONLY ones who thought so!

This photo is of the 6th grade class from South Elementary, taken in 1963, shortly after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. See if you can figure out who everyone is!

We'd love to have some pictures of our other schools. If you have some, scan them in and email them to me at mbpierce@alphagraphics.com, or post them on our Facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/BHS1970.  When you do, include some of your memories of your school, and identify the year and the people in the photo, if you can!

None of us seem to be able to remember the name of the student teacher - any guesses?

Mary Beth Groce Smith

Going to the Big 40th Reunion?

A lot of people have been planning the 40th Reunion weekend for over a year now.  Even though we had a little glitch on the date (oops - Oct 22 is NOT homecoming weekend!), we just decided to have fun anyway! And now...here we are - about 6 weeks out, and everything falling into place.  As of Sept 15, we have about 60 RSVPs, with people coming home from all over the country.

Even though I'm the one who has become the 'voice' of the group, there are many, many people working on this. Here's a list of people who have been involved, and I  hope I don't leave anyone out!

Rosalind Mauldin Payne, Vicki Cunningham Smith, Marsha Glass Collins, Pat Inman Hopper, Bonnie Schroeder Weikel, Marsha McMillan Crook, Kirby Cabler, Tommy Sikes, Jill Westerman Cunningham, Diane Danielle Lanford Delhomme, Sharron Sheffield Holland, Paula Harper Sparks, Gloria Balderama Gamble, and Jackie Aaron Berryman are the ones I know about, and I'm sure there are others.

Many people have also worked to locate 'missing' classmates.  Facebook has been an invaluable means of locating people and staying in touch.  It has made that part of the process much more effective. One of the things we found out is that FB is much easier to navigate than Classmates.com, AND it's free.  Talk about a no-brainer!

Anyone can comment on this blog, and...anyone can author an essay.  All you need to do is send me your email address so I can approve you as an author, and then I'll send you directions.

Be watching for more emails and announcements about reunion activities!

Mary Beth Groce Smith

Here's the reunion schedule: http://tinyurl.com/ReunionSchedule