DuBois Area High School
Class Of 1959 |
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Bob Ericson composed two poems for our class.
During our 50th Class Reunion, Bob read the first poem, 'Villanelle for Yellow Brick Walls'.
The second poem, 'Otherwise Remembering', for light hearted fun.
Villanelle for Yellow Brick Walls
By Bob Ericson
For classmates and Seamus Heaney
DHS loyal sons and daughters, we walk creaky-floored halls
and the computer, a secret somewhere in creation,
can’t figure yet how far we will go from these yellow brick walls.
Green chalk boards screech like tortured owls–no cell calls.
Our future is a sentence diagram under construction.
Loyal sons and daughters, we walk the creaky-floored halls
before the Internet, before shopping malls,
expending unbillable hours of teenage consternation
scrambling to escape these yellow brick walls.
Our daily schedule keeps us, furry, flat-tailed mammals
gnawing, learning, with a beaver’s determination
steady loyal sons and daughters walking creaky-floored halls.
The guidance counselor cruises by–a close call
asking us “what do you want to do;” providing a vision
for how far we can go from these yellow brick walls.
We play the scholastic and athletic game for teenage Falls
discovering along the way mucho action and reaction.
DHS loyal sons and daughters, we walked the creaky-floored halls
and will now, finally, escape those yellow brick walls.
Otherwise Remembering-
By Bob Ericson borrowing from Jane Kenyon
We had Spanish with Matilda
and Latin with Irene. It might
have been otherwise. We had
Algebra with Domb and Science
with Bruce; but it was strictly
Geometry with Melinda. Gratton
was our grammarian, Swisher
found books for us as librarian.
It might have been otherwise. We
dissected frogs with Malasky, studied
socially with Monsieur Kagy.
A talented few played basketball
for Black, musicians played
instruments for Bonsall. It might
have been otherwise. Friday nights
under the lights was football
with Duke. It might have been
otherwise. Weight watchers
wrestled for Shobert, blue suits
dodged balls with Jacqueline
in Phys Ed. We learned
to drive a stick shift with chains
on snow and ice tutored by
a bow-tied Federici and a very
tall PC. It might have been
otherwise. Big Bertha taught us
how to draw, Crytser how to
use a saw. You’d find Goodman
and Carns under the stadium,
where else but under cars. It might
have been otherwise. Bespectacled
principal EJ watched over us all.
Some names have been omitted
but they’re not forgotten. Fifty
years are behind us loyal sons
and daughters. How many of us
turned out otherwise because
we had typing with Miss DuffY?
The following photos are from our 50th Reunion held in July 2009.
Anna Mae DeLarme, Arlene O'Shenic & Rita Seyler.
Golfers L to R:
Ernie Hoffman, Monty Burns, Linda Young, Paul Pfaff, Bill Chase, Bill Cooper, Fred Owen, Tom McFall
Fred Owen, Joan McAninch, Bob Ericson, Jayne Miller & Bernie Kelly.
Lucy & Vince
Chris & Rita (Seyler) Burger
Joan Cooper & Monty
Paul Pfaff, Sonnie Way & Fred Owen
Linda Rayle
The Elvis impersonator before he left the building