We need more participation in the website.  This goes beyond physically attending the reunion in El Paso.  Many will not be able to.  Those who can't still should be able to participate through this website.  We need more people to contribute comments and memories on their "profile" pages.  Call your friends and talk it up. If you do not want to put detailed ID items (such as birth date and address) on this semi-public page, you can always be a little vague or whimsical.  For example, you can ignore the birth date info slot and say "born fall 1943" in your comments, and for your address you can simply say "west side of Fort Worth", for example.  More importantly, we need more memories, and we need everyone to contact (and pester) others that have not yet signed on to the website.  If you are aware that persons have died, say so.  Dig your old annuals out of the attic and remind yourselves of the good, embarrassing, proud, frightening, hilarious, weird, tear-jerking, and enlightening times at old Austin High.   For most folks, the 50th reunion time is the biggest focal point of those old memories.  Memories, memories, and more memories!

I remember my first formal, Austin-in-Action (with its theme, “Carousel,”), where nearly all teachers  were present, including Coach Stueckler who said he came so that he could stop the different couples from “dancing too close.”

The vocalist at Carousel sang “Tammy,” backed up by Bill Swan’s band, which played from 9-12.

I remember a freshman English class, which was unusually lopsided in terms of gender: there was only one guy, Charles Green (who I see listed as one of the 1961 grads) and 27 girls. The teacher, the highly popular and imaginative Barbara Kaster, was my inspiration for the kind of instructor I became in Malaysia, Taiwan, and stateside. I tracked Barbara down via Google nearly 10 years ago; we have corresponded ever since on a regular basis.  She also acknowledged the value of today’s technology, as she also used Google to research background for her book, “Consuela and the Domino Effect,” (with its setting in El Paso, TX), published in 2007 and now sold on Amazon.com.

Among the more memorable freshman English events in Kaster’s class was enacting the trial scene from “Les Miserables,’ presenting a “This is Your Life” for Barbara; and the imaginative writing exercises (being expected to write something about a picture on the bulletin board which Kaster posted, almost always a provocative scene).

More recently, I found the reach of one other teacher quite notable: 49 years after memorizing the prologue to the Canterbury Tales for Kiska’s English classes, I recited it in unison with Chico Gholz whose family and I have socialized with in recent months. (Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote …”)

Mariya, I can still recite the prologue after 50 years.  Mrs. Kiska was a powerful influence on me too!

Well, Don

It's great to know that at least three of us can still recite the first lines of the prologue to the Canterbury Tales. Glad Chico finally reached you via phone, after I was unsuccessful contacting you via email (something about the French/Spanish spelling of the address??)

Why the move to Canada? Whatever the reason, I can certainly understand why you would chose to stay there. Have loved the trips I have taken there more than half a dozen times. (twice with my husband on its western side - Vancouver, Jasper, etc. and its eastern side - St. Edward Island, Nova Scotia. etc.; a cycling/camping trip with a friend in the Laurentians; business travel to Toronto, related to my work in computers).

You and your wife should come to DC, where I have lived for the past 43 years (minus 18 months spent abroad in Taiwan, teaching English and learning Mandarin in the same university). We could get together with Chico, his wife, and his remarkable 94-year old mom. Too bad you can't come to the 50th reunion.

Marija (formerly Mariya) 

(I went back to the original spelling of my name, the one I had when I came as a war orphan to the US in 1949.)