CCHS Classes of 1965 and 1966 Reunion Anecdotes


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Class of 1965-1966 Anecdotes
Our Reunion - A 40 Year Milestone written by Rita J. Schlabach copyright June 7, 2005 Reunions are truly special events. It is a very special event when you can reunite with people you have known since high school -- or kindergarten! Many of us have been in the Clarence school systems all the way through. We have all changed and grown in so many ways Reunions rank in importance as high as weddings, or major family gatherings. Thank you to the committee and many others for all of your dedication and hard work on the reunion planning and updates. You are doing a wonderful service. Life gives challenges, sometimes very difficult ones. Life brings joys, sometimes a lot, sometimes only a few. But life, and going through all of these joys and bumps in the road is precious. It's just the soul's growth on the earth plane. Bumps and struggles, highs and happiness, peaks and valleys. We all have walked a different path since back then and done the best we could with the circumstances and challenges life has presented to us. To share with friends from way back can bring a sense of perspective, and renewed joys of "catching up" with close and casual friends of those previous days. It can be fun sharing treasured memories from those times of the past when we were together in happy, sad or other special moments in time. This energy, of catching up with those we knew back then, can be fuel to carry us to the future. Some of us have had more bumps in the road than others. That happens in every family. We are an extended family of sorts, being that we shared the precious moments of childhood and young adulthood, sharing much in and out of school in our growing up years. And, being in the school over the years together, we have influenced each other in ways we will probably never know! Spending time day in and day out, participating in after-school events such as sports, band, and committees; we grew up together, honed our skills of life by rubbing against each other daily and therefore growing in the process! So, truly, we were an important group for each other. To reunite now, after 40 years of going out into the wider world and experiencing whatever it is that we were meant to experience, whether it be by conscious choice or not, these experiences made us strong and developed ourselves and our character in many, many ways. Being in the field of wholistic (body, mind, spirit) and spiritual transformation as well as the creative arts (music, writing, dance), I have learned that outward success is not the true judge of success in life. True success in life that stretches beyond life, is the inner accomplishments. It is meeting life's challenges however difficult or easy they may be with thoughtfulness, courage, and and inner desire to do the best we can. This shows the true character of a person. But, this inward success, of attempting to meet challenges in the best way we know how to, is often not very visible outwardly (to the general public or even to casual acquaintances). I bring this issue up because it is quite pertinent to a gathering of childhood buddies and friends of long ago. Being human, many of us are somewhat (at least unconsciously and thus the trepidation) concerned about, by being at the reunion, that we will be revealing some aspect about ourselves that we don't feel is perfect enough, or good enough and that people will see in us what we feel is a "glaring fault." We might feel that we are too fat, too skinny, not outwardly successful enough, hampered in relationships, or have some other what we may feel to be a glaring personal fault or our lives aren't as outwardly "remarkable" as we had hoped them to be. Life could have made us bitter in a way, wry, or just kind of bla-ze. But, we all have had our personal hopes and dreams in life. We all have ways we want or wanted ourselves to be or become in life. We all wished, hoped, and worked for our dreams in life. Some of us have accomplished some or many of these. But for most, life has given us paths and turns in the road we did not expect, nor did we know they would be there. So, we had to deal with these as they came up, and we had better or seemingly worse results depending upon the deepness of the woods we had to walk through or the turbulence of the water we were trying to swim through at various points in our lives. For some of us, life was tough. For others, it was smoother. Both of those experiences in life are real, valid and can be learned from. This is the real stuff of life. It is what life is made of. Life is, in the end, an inner job. Outward successes are wonderful, and we applaud any who have accomplished them to whatever degree they have. But the inward successes or failures along the way of an intricate life are hidden, and these can be shared in intimacy with caring, compassionate friends. We commiserate with kindness and compassion with all those who have gone through greater struggles in life as each of us has experienced tribulations in our own lives. For most, life is an interesting mix of good and bad melding to form who we are at the moment. As we all, in our acquired maturity, realize this, and think on it before our reunion, I believe that any of us need not feel so self-conscious of our chinks and chunks, our blibs and blobs that have caused us to falter in ways, and not become that perfect person image we all have in our minds we wanted to be since childhood. Indeed, life is a process and in time, we may still make our goals. I hope so. Dreams are incredibly important and it is necessary to hold our dreams or to make new ones as we go along. Dreams and goals are the fuel of life, but "Life is what happens while we're busy are making other plans." - John Lennon. So what shall we do? Skip the reunion because of some self-consciousness? Or be brave, drum up our inner sense of worth (Mr Buskey, our fearless band director would be proud of us!) and march forward, even though some of us may still have some fear and trepidation about seeing old pals and not being perfect enough. Indeed, reunions can be very healing to the soul, for we muse over, with others who knew us then, our lives with all of their ups and downs. We, in the fun and poignancy of sharing, review who we were then and get to see who we are now in light of our earlier lives with those who knew us so well.. Reunions can thus be seen as important events just as extended family gatherings are. They are milestones to stop and assess the past, share old and new times and, in so doing, embark on a renewed journey in our future. So, even as we may come with some fear and trepidation, we will leave with renewed joy and sureness, for those who have loved and supported us before, will most likely love and support us now in whatever our life is. I know there are old friends I would like to see, and I hope they will come and want to see me too. If some absolutely cannot come, I hope they will catch up with me and with each other by email or by letter or phone. However, there is nothing like the excitement of actually being there as opportunities will come to make new acquaintances too. Joy and laughter, sharing of poignant moments shared in person can last forever. Happy Reunion! (Rita J. Schlabach, in her Transformation Light Center, works with body, mind and spirit issues of personal and planetary transformation. She is a writer, musician, and workshop leader and also a personal body, mind & spirit transformational consultant. Rita leads workshops in music and drum circles, free dance, and nature awareness. Like everyone, she is working with her own joys and challenges in life. Life is incredible, and we are fortunate to be experiencing it.)	Jr. High Antics Remember when extracurricular activities were taken seriously and we dressed up for this (or was it our parents telling us to do so?). Anyway, Sue passed along this photo of young aspiring musicians tooting their own horn, so to speak. Recognize anyone?
Don't Worry, None of Us Has Changed a Bit! Forwarded by Chuck Cashmore '66 I was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist. I noticed his DDS diploma, which bore his full name. Suddenly, I remembered a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name had been in my high school class some 39 years ago. Could he be the same guy that I had a secret crush on way back then? Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought. This balding, gray-haired man with the deeply lined face was way too old to have been my classmate. Hmmm...or could he? After he examined my teeth, I asked him if he had attended Clarence Central High School. "Yes. Yes, I did. I'm a Red Devil," he gleamed with pride. When did you graduate?" I asked. He answered, "In 1965. Why do you ask?" You were in my class!" I exclaimed. He looked at me closely and asked, "What did you teach?"
A letter from Sharon Sharon Becker Routt Boulder , CO Class of '66 Dear Classmates: Two years ago, for the first time in 30 years, I returned to Clarence to visit Nancy Fohl Castro and see my childhood haunts. Since I haven't been back in so long it should be obvious that I'm not one who lives in the past or does a lot of reminiscing. Perhaps it is part of being 50ish, a time to assess what we've done with the life given us; but something just drove me to want to return when I was back for my son's graduation from Syracuse U. Seeing Nancy (who I have seen a couple of times over the years) was great fun. She also contacted Candy Rossner who joined us one day for lunch and a drive through Clarence with a stop at the high school. We had a ball! We were able to laugh at the things from the past and talk about how our lives differed from our childhood dreams. It was amazing how quickly we fell back into our old camaraderie. I found the experience very rewarding. We got to see Mr. Gourlay - then a counselor - just before he retired. Talking with him and learning about the teachers we had and what happened to them was also fun. Although I had doubts about the wisdom of returning to Clarence (you can never go home again), on the contrary, I found it an enriching experience; reminding me of where I came from, what influenced and helped mold me and seeing friends. It was not only worthwhile and fun, but I regained a perspective which gave satisfaction in a part of me I hadn't thought about in a very long time. It was then that I decided I would attend the next reunion. I was a late bloomer, so maybe some of you figured out the benefits of seeing old friends and returning to your roots a long time ago and this encouragement seems odd; but if you are like me and haven't been back - or it's been awhile or you've been sitting on the fence about coming - I hope this encourages you to attend. It will be so much more fun if most of us are there. These special times don't come around often - so don't let the tyranny of the urgent preoccupy you. Make the time. I hope to see you there.
Another Thought Dave Chilcott '66 of San Antonio, Texas, who will be attending the reunion along with twin brother Doug, points out a practical advantage of a reunion get-together: "Seeing old acqaintances [classmates] might open financial doors ... Each of us has a wealth of experience and have hopefully attained a certain level of financial success and we can share information or perhaps help a fellow classmate." Dave said it's sad that some classmates feel intimidated by the reunion or may feel it's a waste of time. Many others, like him and his brother, he said, "look forward to hearing new stories and seeing old faces."

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Class of 1965-1966 Anecdotes

Our Reunion - A 40 Year Milestone
written by Rita J. Schlabach
copyright June 7, 2005

Reunions are truly special events.

It is a very special event when you can reunite with people you have known since high school -- or kindergarten! Many of us have been in the Clarence school systems all the way through. We have all changed and grown in so many ways Reunions rank in importance as high as weddings, or major family gatherings. Thank you to the committee and many others for all of your dedication and hard work on the reunion planning and updates. You are doing a wonderful service.

Life gives challenges, sometimes very difficult ones. Life brings joys, sometimes a lot, sometimes only a few. But life, and going through all of these joys and bumps in the road is precious. It's just the soul's growth on the earth plane. Bumps and struggles, highs and happiness, peaks and valleys. We all have walked a different path since back then and done the best we could with the circumstances and challenges life has presented to us.

To share with friends from way back can bring a sense of perspective, and renewed joys of "catching up" with close and casual friends of those previous days. It can be fun sharing treasured memories from those times of the past when we were together in happy, sad or other special moments in time. This energy, of catching up with those we knew back then, can be fuel to carry us to the future.

Some of us have had more bumps in the road than others. That happens in every family. We are an extended family of sorts, being that we shared the precious moments of childhood and young adulthood, sharing much in and out of school in our growing up years. And, being in the school over the years together, we have influenced each other in ways we will probably never know! Spending time day in and day out, participating in after-school events such as sports, band, and committees; we grew up together, honed our skills of life by rubbing against each other daily and therefore growing in the process! So, truly, we were an important group for each other.

To reunite now, after 40 years of going out into the wider world and experiencing whatever it is that we were meant to experience, whether it be by conscious choice or not, these experiences made us strong and developed ourselves and our character in many, many ways. Being in the field of wholistic (body, mind, spirit) and spiritual transformation as well as the creative arts (music, writing, dance), I have learned that outward success is not the true judge of success in life. True success in life that stretches beyond life, is the inner accomplishments. It is meeting life's challenges however difficult or easy they may be with thoughtfulness, courage, and and inner desire to do the best we can. This shows the true character of a person. But, this inward success, of attempting to meet challenges in the best way we know how to, is often not very visible outwardly (to the general public or even to casual acquaintances).

I bring this issue up because it is quite pertinent to a gathering of childhood buddies and friends of long ago. Being human, many of us are somewhat (at least unconsciously and thus the trepidation) concerned about, by being at the reunion, that we will be revealing some aspect about ourselves that we don't feel is perfect enough, or good enough and that people will see in us what we feel is a "glaring fault." We might feel that we are too fat, too skinny, not outwardly successful enough, hampered in relationships, or have some other what we may feel to be a glaring personal fault or our lives aren't as outwardly "remarkable" as we had hoped them to be. Life could have made us bitter in a way, wry, or just kind of bla-ze. But, we all have had our personal hopes and dreams in life. We all have ways we want or wanted ourselves to be or become in life. We all wished, hoped, and worked for our dreams in life. Some of us have accomplished some or many of these. But for most, life has given us paths and turns in the road we did not expect, nor did we know they would be there. So, we had to deal with these as they came up, and we had better or seemingly worse results depending upon the deepness of the woods we had to walk through or the turbulence of the water we were trying to swim through at various points in our lives. For some of us, life was tough. For others, it was smoother. Both of those experiences in life are real, valid and can be learned from. This is the real stuff of life. It is what life is made of. Life is, in the end, an inner job. Outward successes are wonderful, and we applaud any who have accomplished them to whatever degree they have. But the inward successes or failures along the way of an intricate life are hidden, and these can be shared in intimacy with caring, compassionate friends. We commiserate with kindness and compassion with all those who have gone through greater struggles in life as each of us has experienced tribulations in our own lives.

For most, life is an interesting mix of good and bad melding to form who we are at the moment. As we all, in our acquired maturity, realize this, and think on it before our reunion, I believe that any of us need not feel so self-conscious of our chinks and chunks, our blibs and blobs that have caused us to falter in ways, and not become that perfect person image we all have in our minds we wanted to be since childhood. Indeed, life is a process and in time, we may still make our goals. I hope so. Dreams are incredibly important and it is necessary to hold our dreams or to make new ones as we go along. Dreams and goals are the fuel of life, but "Life is what happens while we're busy are making other plans." - John Lennon.

So what shall we do? Skip the reunion because of some self-consciousness? Or be brave, drum up our inner sense of worth (Mr Buskey, our fearless band director would be proud of us!) and march forward, even though some of us may still have some fear and trepidation about seeing old pals and not being perfect enough. Indeed, reunions can be very healing to the soul, for we muse over, with others who knew us then, our lives with all of their ups and downs. We, in the fun and poignancy of sharing, review who we were then and get to see who we are now in light of our earlier lives with those who knew us so well..
Reunions can thus be seen as important events just as extended family gatherings are. They are milestones to stop and assess the past, share old and new times and, in so doing, embark on a renewed journey in our future. So, even as we may come with some fear and trepidation, we will leave with renewed joy and sureness, for those who have loved and supported us before, will most likely love and support us now in whatever our life is.

I know there are old friends I would like to see, and I hope they will come and want to see me too. If some absolutely cannot come, I hope they will catch up with me and with each other by email or by letter or phone. However, there is nothing like the excitement of actually being there as opportunities will come to make new acquaintances too. Joy and laughter, sharing of poignant moments shared in person can last forever.

Happy Reunion!

(Rita J. Schlabach, in her Transformation Light Center, works with body, mind and spirit issues of personal and planetary transformation. She is a writer, musician, and workshop leader and also a personal body, mind & spirit transformational consultant. Rita leads workshops in music and drum circles, free dance, and nature awareness. Like everyone, she is working with her own joys and challenges in life. Life is incredible, and we are fortunate to be experiencing it.)

Jr. High Antics
Remember when extracurricular activities were taken seriously and we dressed up for this (or was it our parents telling us to do so?). Anyway, Sue passed along this photo of young aspiring musicians tooting their own horn, so to speak. Recognize anyone?

Don't Worry, None of Us Has Changed a Bit!

Forwarded by Chuck Cashmore '66

I was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist. I noticed his DDS diploma, which bore his full name.

Suddenly, I remembered a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name had been in my high school class some 39 years ago. Could he be the same guy that I had a secret crush on way back then?

Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought. This balding, gray-haired man with the deeply lined face was way too old to have been my classmate. Hmmm...or could he?

After he examined my teeth, I asked him if he had attended Clarence Central High School. "Yes. Yes, I did. I'm a Red Devil," he gleamed with pride.

When did you graduate?" I asked. He answered, "In 1965. Why do you ask?"

You were in my class!" I exclaimed.

He looked at me closely and asked, "What did you teach?"

A letter from Sharon

Sharon Becker Routt
Boulder , CO

Class of '66

Dear Classmates:

Two years ago, for the first time in 30 years, I returned to Clarence to visit Nancy Fohl Castro and see my childhood haunts. Since I haven't been back in so long it should be obvious that I'm not one who lives in the past or does a lot of reminiscing. Perhaps it is part of being 50ish, a time to assess what we've done with the life given us; but something just drove me to want to return when I was back for my son's graduation from Syracuse U.

Seeing Nancy (who I have seen a couple of times over the years) was great fun. She also contacted Candy Rossner who joined us one day for lunch and a drive through Clarence with a stop at the high school. We had a ball! We were able to laugh at the things from the past and talk about how our lives differed from our childhood dreams. It was amazing how quickly we fell back into our old camaraderie. I found the experience very rewarding. We got to see Mr. Gourlay - then a counselor - just before he retired. Talking with him and learning about the teachers we had and what happened to them was also fun.

Although I had doubts about the wisdom of returning to Clarence (you can never go home again), on the contrary, I found it an enriching experience; reminding me of where I came from, what influenced and helped mold me and seeing friends. It was not only worthwhile and fun, but I regained a perspective which gave satisfaction in a part of me I hadn't thought about in a very long time. It was then that I decided I would attend the next reunion.

I was a late bloomer, so maybe some of you figured out the benefits of seeing old friends and returning to your roots a long time ago and this encouragement seems odd; but if you are like me and haven't been back - or it's been awhile or you've been sitting on the fence about coming - I hope this encourages you to attend. It will be so much more fun if most of us are there. These special times don't come around often - so don't let the tyranny of the urgent preoccupy you. Make the time.

I hope to see you there.

Another Thought

Dave Chilcott '66 of San Antonio, Texas, who will be attending the reunion along with twin brother Doug, points out a practical advantage of a reunion get-together: "Seeing old acqaintances [classmates] might open financial doors ... Each of us has a wealth of experience and have hopefully attained a certain level of financial success and we can share information or perhaps help a fellow classmate."

Dave said it's sad that some classmates feel intimidated by the reunion or may feel it's a waste of time. Many others, like him and his brother, he said, "look forward to hearing new stories and seeing old faces."