Presidential Address
Presidential Address to the Class of 79
By Bob Algee
Good evening every one and thanks for coming. This has been a special occasion already and we are only half through. Well I'm to give the Presidential address and when Josephine asked me I thought that man that's going to be easy. So when I saw JoJo last night I asked her about he address she had to straighten me out a little. I said, Jo the address is easy it's 1600 Pennsylvania Ave and if our classmates don't' know that then Mrs. Hankerson would be so disappointed. Josephine said "oh Bob" not that presidential address. I said oh I get it now since I was Class President my address for the class. I said with all this facebook and Gps that shouldn't be hard for the Class of 79. But OK its 149 silver Maple drive. Josephine was starting to laugh a little and then she explained the situation and so hang on because here we go.
The Class of 1979 Coldwater High School Presidential Address.
It was a Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., about 78 degrees if my research serves me correct, May 1st 1979 the NWJC coliseum. The scene was the gathering of friends, and family, moms and dads, grandparents, aunts and uncles on this day. This was just an ordinary day to most of the world, but to the 140 excited individuals that wrere about to graduate, this was the turning of a page, the ending or one era and the beginning of another. This day marked the stepping off point for some, the getting off point for some, and the getting away for others. But make no mistake it was a day that we all remember and still think about from time to time. This day was the day we 140 completed an important leg in our journey of life. It had begun twelve years or so earlier as we endured and trudged through home rooms, quizzes, tests and 35 cent lunches. There were days of excitement, disappointment and much waited anticipations. For most of us here it really came together in the 4th grade or the 4th year of this journey with teachers like Mrs. Cushman and Mrs. Woodward. That's when we all finally came together as a town and a school, Coldwater High School was born as it should have been. We came together to share the next several years as brothers and sisters together in our journey to May 1 1979. Those years will always remain special in some ways and trying in others. The excitement of athletic events, carnivals, conventions and Friday night loomed large at this junction in our lives. I would like you to just think back some 30 plus years to some of those memories you might have about those earlier years. Some of those memories will be challenging like the loss of a Classmate Bruce Kiersey in the junior high years, who was killed when he was hit by a train on the Thanksgiving Holiday. Some want remember him because you hadn't begun the journey with some of us at that time. But, none the less he had shared a few years with us in our trek to May 1. Just like others who joined our party toward that day even up to the last year enlarging our family to the 140 that completed that endeavor, each individual sharing their lives with us and ours with them helping mold us into what we are. Memories of the group moving from TCAC and Strayhorn to combine at the place we Called Coldwater High. As you know that building we called CHS in no longer standing. We must have been a more rowdy bunch than I can remember or recall. The Class of 79 was the last class to occupy that old building with no air conditioning and sometimes no heat. That's right no A/C. There is a picture in one annual of Dianne sitting in class with a toboggan on do you remember it? I don't think she was trying to set a style trend but then again I might be wrong looking at the youth of today and the way they don their attire. Remembering attire, now that's another avenue we can run down for just a moment, remember sun dresses, gauchos, spike heels, straight legged jeans and converse basketball shoes. I really thought we looked cool back then. But the world evidently just didn't have as good of taste as the Class of 79 had in the early years. The change to mini skirts ( that's a 60's thing) Baggy pants, no belts and air jordans seems to be the new norm. Hair styles have come a ways since that time, from long hair, afros, Farrah Fawcett big hair to Shaved heads, weaves, and Dorthy Hamil short and sassy looks. Music is another area that turned from Stevie Wonder, Meatloaf, and the Ojays, Cheap Trick and Boston to some artists I can't even spell their names.
Well enough about the culture change, something we were not able to hold in check, back to the days at CHS. Do you remember your favorite teacher, if you had one? What about MS Hankerson and Government "DOWN", Mr. Wright and biology, and Ms To thine own self be true Moore and English, Mrs Darnell and Mrs Amburn. What about Julius Caesar and Ms Crouther, just to name a few? What about the Coaches like Veazey, Crouther, Oakley, and Baldwin. These were just a small number of the individuals that assisted we few, we happy few on our quest to May1. Think back to the Halloween carnivals, all the clubs and groups coming together to make a buck and have a good time, now that was fun. The rivals of Senatobia and Independence in football and basketball, it really mattered if we won or lost to us and the community. The Crossroads Bowl in Corinth was a mile stone in our years, we were the first class I know of to go to a bowl game How could we forget the pep rallies and Christmas programs in that old worn out gym These were times we thought we would never get through, but would if your were honest you would enjoy going back for just a little while either to make right a wrong or change something that might have made a difference in our lives or others, but regretfully we can't. Ralph Emerson quoted, "Each moment of the year has it's own beauty - a picture that was seen before and will never be seen again." That's about how it is with those years that led up to that wonderful day of May 1st 1979. we won't see them again - we just have those wonderful memories.
It's been approximately 30 years 4 months and 4 days since that life changing day of May 1st. There are events that each one of us has experienced which are unique to each of us as individuals. We have come a long way from those early years. There have been experiences of life in having children and grandchildren. Many have tasted death of family, friends, and classmates. There have been good jobs, great jobs, job changes and some times with no job. We have experienced wars and military service. And for just a moment I would like to personally thank those of you who have served and are serving this great country. There have been other life changing decisions for our selves and others, whether to move or stay, buy or build, to say yes or no--- types of decisions like these have shaped our lives in some way or the other. A quote from Charles Swindoll's book Living Above the Level of Mediocrity states, " Life is a lot like a coin, you can spend it anyway you wish, but you can spend it only once. Choosing one thing over all the rest throughout life is a difficult thing to do. This is especially true when the choices are so many and the possibilities are so close." With all of these past memories and decisions behind us, we now have to look forward to what is left of our lives. This is not to say we should box up the past and disregard it, but to learn from it. We learn from our mistakes and successes. We make better decisions from our past failures. Experience is said to be the best teacher and it usually is something we gain right after we could have used it. Peter Drucker's quote "the best way to predict the future is to create it " is a quote worth thinking about and taking to heart. We have the opportunity to create the future by the choices we make or don't make. We need to determine what matters most and what seems to matter by embracing people where they are and facing reality with honesty, integrity, and trust. The next 30 years will different in some ways but the same in others, in that the outcome depends upon you, because how you live today is how you live your life. We will continue to have struggles, failures and success and learn from them all. With all the future choices that you encounter, I hope you can be encouraged from these few versus of scripture from the book of James. {2} Consider it all joy by brethren, when you encounter various trials,(3) knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance,(4) and let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. And if it is God's will and plan some of us might gather another box of memories to share with each other in the future we create.
In closing, I am going to paraphrase a little William Shakesphere from Julius Caesar, Mrs. Crouther might be Listening. When I wrote this address I didn't know you would be here Ms C, so Be kind in my interpretation.
The scene is this Cassius and Brutus are talking about an ensuing battle and are conversing something like this.
We know not he end of this day, but this day shall surely end If we shall meet again then we will smile and rejoice, but if not then this meeting was well made.
That's how I feel about this reunion of the Class of 79 and I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to those of you who made this possible the hours and effort you put in you will never know how much you are truly appreciated. For this meeting was and is well made.
I love you all more than you know
May God bless and Keep each and every one of you.