45th Reunion - Class of 1959, Lamar Senior High School

Mirabeau B. Lamar Senior High School Big Red

Houston, Texas

The Class of 1959
45th Reunion Weekend
April 30 - May 2, 2004

Your Committee - A Great Job Preparing the 45th Reunion of the Lamar Class of 1959

Standing, left to right: Arlen Ferguson, Maria Burke, Rick McDowell, Ed Bock, Bette Azadian Leonard, Arthur Faris, Rollo Storey, Wendell Mendell, Larry Hitt. Seated, left to right: Mary Dale Ellis, Ann Knickerbocker McCullough, Lou Parks Gorski, Lee Chatham Seureau. Committee members not pictured: Bill Conner, Travis Broesche, Nancy Culbertson DeLorenzo, Jon Fleming, Tom Herren, Frank Jones, Rick Lilliott, Karen Tellepsen.

The list of who signed up for the Reunion ... is here !!

Can you help us locate any of these classmates? (click and check!)

A summary of the various reunion activities:

Friday, April 30, 2004

We first gathered at Grassshopper, a chic new bar at 506 Main, right on the Metro Rail line. We had the place to ourselves from 7-9:30, cash bar, and quickly filled it up. This was arranged by our own Rick McDowell who has a management interest in the place.

Saturday, May 1

The main event was hosted by Lee (Chatham) and Glenn Seureau in their beautiful new Mercedes showroom (complete with red and blue neon) at Star Motor Cars, 7000 Old Katy Road from 7-11 pm.

Decorations - Lou Gorski coordinated. Hey - Big Red from Lamar was there - what more could we need!
Food - With help from our catering genius, Rollo Storey, Lee prepared and served some elegant finger-food (now called pick-up food per Rollo) and other buffet items.
Drinks - The meal included wine, beer, soft drinks and bottled waters.
Dress – Cocktail attire
Music – We hired a DJ to play some of your favorites for mood music and dancing.
Cost – $30 per person covered the cost of food and drink, decorations, music and invitation printing and mailing.

Sunday, May 2

We met for brunch at Cadillac Bar, 1802 Shepherd at Katy Freeway at 11 A.M.

Other:

Invitations – Jon Hugh designed a great invitation that includes a reproduction of the running redskin.

Hotel – Lou Gorski made arrangements with the Fairfield Inn in the Galleria area for $45/ night. Details in the invitation.

Reunion airfares – we made an agreement with Continental for discounted fares; again, details were in the invitation.

Website – You've found it! http://mike.blackledge.com/reunion.htm. If you forget the URL, just go to Google and enter: Lamar 45th Reunion. Hit the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button, and you'll jump right to here! Classmates will be able to post a recent bio, news items, and other information - send your material to Mike@Blackledge.com

Plans for the 45th Reunion were maintained and updated at this site.

The Class of 1959 held their 45th Reunion during the weekend of April 30 - 2 May 2004; a great time was had by all ! Your Reunion Committee sent out notices (e-mail and snail mail) on March 9, 2004 - and you can also obtain the invitation and response form here.

Your contact for the Lamar 59ers Reunion is Larry Hitt. Contact Larry at:
LarryHitt@benefitsdesign.net

Send Information and Photos for this site to Mike@Blackledge.com

Other Reunion Events - if you are having a Private Party you want publicized, that information will be displayed here:

Members of Miss Helen Greenwood's Major Works English Class
Cordially Invite Their '59 Friends to
a Brunch at The Forest Club
at 11AM, Saturday, May 1, 2004
9950 Memorial Drive, Houston, TX 77024
$20 per person

RSVP by mailing your check payable to: Arlen Ferguson
2416 Briar Ridge, Houston, TX 77057
prior to April 23rd, to secure your reservation.
If you need additional information,  contact Arlen at  (713) 974-5752

This event was a "private party" and thus closed to anyone that did not
forward payment prior to the deadline.
The Club is located one block east of the Chimney Rock/Memorial
intersection, at the corner of Memorial and Saddlebrook.

As of 22 April, we've received checks from Jim Jennings, Mike Blackledge, Sam Hughes, Carol Illig Lake, Martha Hansen Dinwiddie, Letitia Kinzbach Keller, Anne Watts Morris, Kathleen Much, Wendell Mendell, and Carol and Roy Turner. Mike Hattwick and Barbara showed up, and a great time was had by all!

Recent Alumni Associaton news:

The Lamar Alumni Association now has a website: www.lamarhsalumni.com

Tommy Tune (nine time Tony winner, and graduate of the Class of 1957) was recently featured in kicking off a fundraising campaign by performing at Lamar High school on February 12, 2004. Funds raised will be used to benefit the renovation of our school's auditorium, which was newly dedicated as the Ruth R. Denny Auditorium. You can still contribute or even dedicate a chair with your name in the auditorium. For additional information on this and other events, go to the website www.lamarhsalumni.com

Lamar High School Class of 1959

Stories from '59

I'm working on the "walk down memory lane" part of the evening and solicit your input. Per Art Farris' fine suggestion, I tried to get Paul Brindley to do it with me but, he has a long standing obligation on the Island and won't be attending.

My hope is to start a "conversation" with the group. I've done this before - many times - even in university commencement speeches and formal academic "lectures" - it works.

I have clear and distinct memories of Lamar days. And...so do each of you! How about taking a few minutes and sending me some of your precious ones? The obvious like going to the quarter finals in football in '58 of course. The Mixed Chorus and Choralettes, etc., etc.

But, does anyone know why Richard Davis got kicked off the track team just before the state meet? I do.

Of course teacher memories are really important. Arlen has gone so far as to have the Major Works English Class to the Forrest Club. I was thinking about getting a group together at a nearby McDonalds to celebrate our Assistant Principals. I was thinking about having all of us who got pops from Mr. Camp or Mr. Costlow to stand up.

How about the Niwauna Mums and how all that worked? How about Mrs. MacArthur and the Latin "pony" story?

Is there anyone out there who can shed light on the delicious rumor (entirely unconfirmed) of Lou Park's and Jack Kamrath's fond yet torrid relationship commencing in the second grade at River Oaks and continuing all the way into the University of Texas? The way Mr. and Mrs. Parks found all this out was when they discovered a pair of "clay stained" tennis shoes in the back of Mrs. Park's car...when they were 11 years old...Jack and Lou...not the tennis shoes. (Forgive me Lou!!!!)

Send me any and all you wish. Again, I'm going to weave as much as possible into five or ten minutes. If the conversation with the big group "heats" then wonderful. If it doesn't we can cut it off when appropriate.

We are all so blessed to be part of this wonderful Lamar Family. We are equally blessed by circumstance of our births, the love of our parents and family and our industry.

Jon Hugh

Lamar '59er's Lunch - a monthly tradition:

The Lamar '59er's Lunch is currently held at Marathon Oil Bldg. Cafeteria, 5555 San Felipe at Yorktown, Houston. Underground parking available. These lunches are held on the first Thursday of each month, so plan ahead..... Please pass this info on to any of our classmates that you may be in contact with.

We don't want to leave anyone out. I sent out postcards to quite a few of those that don't have e-mail. See you next [first] Thursday. - Bette Azadian Leonard

Memories from the 40th Reunion, 1999

Links:
   The words for the Lamar Fight Song can be found at this site:
  http://hs.houstonisd.org/lamarhs/handbook.htm
which also contains the words for the Alma Mater, and other information.  The words and music for 
both were contributed by Lee S. Keding.
____________

Fight Song:

Fight Lamar forever, we will see you through
We'll defend your honor all brave and so true
Fight! Fight! Fight
Hail, Hail, the gang's all here
Sound your colors true
We'll fight forever for the crimson and the blue
L-, L-, L-, A-, M;
M-, M-, M-, A-, R-,
L-, A-, M-,
M-, A-, R.
GOOOOO LAMAR!
Fight! Fight! Fight!

Dateline, La Madeleine's Restaurant: This group of 59ers was found in November 2003, already thinking about the 45th reunion in April 2004 ! From left to right: Wendell Mendell, Jim Jennings, Rick Lilliott, Kathleen Much, Gwen Lilliott, Carol Childress Turner.

If men can run the world, why can't they stop wearing neckties? How intelligent is it to start the day by tying a little noose around your neck? - Linda Ellerbee, Mirabeau B. Lamar '68

Home Page for the Class of 1959 (Lamar Senior High School) 45th Reunion.
Return to Lamar Class of 1959 Home Page Send information and photos for this site to Mike@Blackledge.com
last updated 13 August 2014