 Lamar HS 1959 Class: Reunion Meditations
Lamar HS classmates of 1959:
On the final weekend of March, 2019, a reunion was held to
commemorate the 60th year of graduation for the Lamar HS Class of 1959.
I deliberately avoid calling
it the 60th reunion because we were unable to contact hundreds of
classmates who may still be alive and in good health. Roughly 75 Lamar
grads attended at
least one of the four events that weekend. Spouses and accompanying
persons brings the total to over 100. All reports indicate that
attendees were very pleased.
Nothing would have happened without Bette Azadian Leonard
persistently asking the monthly Houston lunch group in 2018, “Are we
going to have a reunion?” The
first discussion point was whether enough interest existed to justify
organizing something. After we decided to do something similar to the
50th reunion, Arlen
Ferguson and Rick McDowell took charge of finding venues that were not too large and expensive or too small in case of an unexpected
response. Mike Blackledge kept information up to date on the class website. Larry Hitt and I dug out the spreadsheets from the 50th reunion to get
as many contact emails as we could. Maria Burke Butler arranged a fabulous hotel rate for attendees from out of town. Bette pitched in, and Malcolm Bell helped
with logistics.
[BTW, Bette has a pair of women’s half-lens glasses left at the Forest Club Saturday night.]
The Punchline: As the husband of one of our classmates was
leaving the Saturday night event, he shook my hand and said, “Let’s do
this every year!” While you
roll your eyes, I will make some observations.
1) People at the events were very enthusiastic about the experience.
2) In another decade at age 88, those of us
still alive will probably not be lively.
3) We only made a dent in the list of classmates, and others might enjoy reacquainting their old classmates as did our
attendees.
I am not trying to solicit comments, nor do I want to start a
franchise of Reunions R’Us. However, I encourage everyone to consider
whether you know how to
contact other classmates particularly if you know they were not at the
gathering in March. The best way to contact us is through the website
and I urge you to
spread the word about its existence. I can be reached at
Wendell@Lamar59.org Mike Blackledge can be reached at Webmaster@Lamar59.org
Perhaps in a year, after the glow has subsided, we can have a
discussion about getting together more often as time is not on our
side.
- Wendell Mendell
Events Attendees Photos T-shirts
P.S. Where are your Reunion photos? Please upload to your favorite Cloud storage (e.g., SmugMug) and send the link to mike@blackledge.com -
haven't got shareable Cloud storage? Start an archive.org account (free and forever).
The
above is a summary of the 60th Reunion events distributed by Wendell on
13 April 2019 to known Class of 1959 email addresses. This page
captures the Introductory Remarks and Event Planning for the 60th, and
is maintained for archivists. | What happened to the fifties? Can you
believe it has been 60 years
since we left the
safe, warm (no air conditioning),
all-encompassing arms of Mirabeau B. Lamar? Remember back when
our mascot was Big
Red? Remember
the great friends and
teachers we had? Remember Snigglefritz? Remember when we
actually
had social clubs? Hey, it's time for our ... |
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60th
Reunion! 29-31 March 2019
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Message from the Reunion Committee on 25 Mar 2019, 8:30pm
Dear fellow Lamar classmates,
The
first event of our reunion schedule is coming up this week. We
have registrations for alumni and accompanying persons. You can
find that list [below] on the Lamar 1959 class website. For
Friday afternoon at the Kirby Ice House we have 89 people registered.
For the Lamar tour, we have 66. For the Saturday night dinner at
7pm at the Forest Club, we have 91 people. Finally, we have 61
intending to make it to the Cadillac Bar (Laredo Room) for Sunday
brunch at 10am. The diners Saturday night will receive a little
extra surprise as well as upscale name tags.
Even
though location information is on the website and everybody has a GPS
in a car or on a phone, we anticipate someone will get confused about
times and places. Those folks can call me or Rick
McDowell. Rick is the best bet for information
about the Friday afternoon and Sunday morning events. He has been
in charge of that part of the scheduling. Arlen Ferguson is the
guru for everything on Saturday.
As of this writing, I do not have detailed instructions for the school tour. I will forward those as soon as we know them.
A limited number of custom t-shirts will be available from Rick. See [T-shirts]
- Wendell Mendell
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 ... getting the ol' band back together!
We're looking forward to seeing you at our 60th Reunion - this is the week!
Great interest and turnout! We know these classmates are attending -
... and these classmates are considering ...
... (and some classmates have told us they will not be attending) ....
Unfortunately, over the years, we've lost many classmates. It's time to gather up the rest of us!
Who
have we missed? If you know of a classmate whose name is not on
one of these lists, and you have some contact info, let us know!
Meanwhile, please print and mail this form.
Any questions? Ask away!
Wendell@Lamar59.org
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Hotel Accommodations: Traveling
from out of town? Thanks to our classmate Maria Burke Butler, we have a
great deal on a most convenient hotel. This deal runs out soon, so make
your reservations now! Within walking distance of the
Galleria, and you can park your own car! Take advantage of our
60th Reunion block of rooms:
Hotel Indigo Houston at the Galleria
5260 Hidalgo Street
Houston TX 77056
phone: 713-621-8988 website
Our Group Accommodations available during the Reunion (29 March 2019 thru 31 March 2019 - use Group Code LSR):
- Classic King: $99/nite
- 2 Double Queens: $109/nite
- King Suite: $129/nite
note: the cutoff date for this deal was 8 March 2019 |
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60th
Reunion Events
(29 - 31 March 2019)
|
Friday, 29 March 2019
 Please note start time! On Friday from 4 pm to 8 pm we will have an informal gathering
at the Kirby Ice House. T-shirts will be sold at this event! Click for details!
Kirby's is located at 3333 Eastside, just south of good ol' Lamar (see map). You can view the front inside bar in this 360 degree photo. Bring your dog or your ex-spouse - all are welcome!
(a
sleek, expansive bar serving local beers, cocktails & wine with a
big backyard & food trucks; just like the Lamar Cafeteria in the 50s.)
Pay-as-you-go open bar. We'll meet at the front inside bar,
which is just inside the main door which opens to Eastside. This is
an area conducive to walking around, meeting, talking - see the photo.
There will be a food truck available if you wish to order beyond bar food.
(Planner: Rick McDowell) ...
 
http://www.kirbyicehouse.com/
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Saturday morning, 30 March 2019
Before we dress for our Dinner Party, Fran Callahan will take us of a Tour
of Lamar
(11 am to 1 pm) to see all the additions and what Life is like today
for
the Redskins - uh, "Texans." School is not in session on Saturday
and we can view the construction site of the 'new building.' If
you get hungry, there are numerous restaurants in the area. Or
just pack a lunch and sit on the Lamar front lawn 'like the old days.'
[Fran Callahan, the Executive Director of our Lamar HS Alumni Assoc, is our contact and tour guide for this event]
Saturday evening, 30 March 2019
 
7 pm Reunion
Dinner Party
The site is The Forest Club, 9950 Memorial. Attire is
dressy casual (sport jackets required for men)
Situated
on more than six wooded acres, deep in the heart of Houston just off
Memorial Drive, the Club is a rare gem in the bustling City of
Houston. Founded in 1946, by some of Houston's oldest and finest
families, The Forest Club's guiding principle has always been to create
a comfortable environment where friends and family can gather, dine and
enjoy recreational activities.
[Arlen Ferguson has made the arrangements for our big Saturday event.]
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 Sunday morning, 31 March 2019
Please note start time! 10 am at The Cadillac Bar (1802 Shepherd - one block south of the Katy Freeway, I-10). $27 total per person, cash or credit card (covers the Sunday Buffet with non-alcoholic drink & tax & gratuity).
Our class will be in the Laredo Room
(large separate room with separate entrance at East end of building,
opens to a little side street called Nolda). Any remaining Reunion T-shirts will be made available at this event.
Be sure and sign up on the Registration Form for this farewell brunch!
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