Richfield High School
Ram Posts
A word of thanks from Ronda Roberts Garner
I have had many classmates thank me for our party's success; however, I immediately tell them that no party takes place without the work of many individuals. Jimmy called me, last June, explaining that a 70th BD party would be fun, but the "Waco bunch" was somewhat “party weary” after the many hours they poured into the 50th reunion…..and what a resounding success that event was! He asked if I would consider putting a birthday party together. I pondered and agreed to do so, later asking, "What have I gotten myself into?" Our first meeting was held at the Tusa's beautiful home. Leonard and Sherry graciously provided a few treats and some of us brought food to dine on as we discussed the party. After our meeting, I contacted Jan Abernathy Pickett, explaining what we were planning and asked if she would agree to get the word out on our website. She graciously agreed to do so! I applaud her for the numerous updates and messages, keeping us all informed. A few weeks before the event, she told me she felt she needed to do "something else"….. really? I mentioned that no one had committed to do the nametag table, so she immediately volunteered to take on that task! Remarkably done and wasn’t that greeting poster just awesome?
Thankfully, Connie Crow Stamps agreed to be my Waco liaison and successfully made phone calls, ran errands and graciously opened her lovely condo up for meetings. She also baked and iced the sugar-free cupcakes, for the dessert table, as well as having the "Happy Birthday" balloons inflated, Saturday morning, and bringing them to the clubhouse.
After one classmate was unable to assist with the catering selection, Connie Brock Mejia went with me to interview the caterer's last fall. I am thankful for her input and assistance with our selection, Blanek's Custom Catering. We also had a lot of fun, in her comfy patio home, baking gluten free mini muffins, for the dessert table, visiting, as we poured a toasted almond/M&M mix into organza bags. For those who may be concerned, we did wear plastic gloves to keep the munchies germ-free!
We would not have had invitations without Beth Eaton Ramsey. This talented classmate is as technically savvy and can do just about anything on the computer! She also designed the certificate our class presented to Jeannie Chaney Perkin's spouse, Butch. At the last minute, she also printed out the small poem Betsy Woodard had written and we later placed them on the party tables. Beth graciously furnished the lovely while tablecloths for the party. She also brought the "Guess Who" screen, to the event, posting our "little folk photos". She is an amazingly talented classmate!
Speaking of Butch Perkins, we can never applaud him enough for sharing his remarkable talent with our class. The music was perfect and we appreciate you!
I spent many hours with Chris Oakes McKay, making decisions on party decor. Thanks to bargains at Dollar Tree and the new Party City, in Waco, we were able to keep decor, plates, napkins, etc., to an affordable expense. Connie's creativity brought together a roomful of fun decor! An added bonus: After the party, ALL helium balloons were joyfully accepted by assisted living and nursing homes to celebrate April birthday's! So our fun party continued to bless others and we resourced our balloons!
I want to thank Dana Copeland Jones, and Scott, for gathering up the set-up's for our bar area. The area was well stocked and classmates had easy access to the provided mixers. Bringing in heavy bottles and canned beverages, water, ice, etc., was a huge task and our helper "worker bees" assisted! Thanks!
Trudy Kestner Cohen agreed to order the birthday cakes from HEB. The week before the party, she was placed in panic mode when the teacher she was going to sub for, after the birth of the teacher's baby, had the baby two weeks early! She didn't know how she was going to manage ordering cakes and dealing with a classroom. She had already baked and frozen the petite, sugar free cookies for the dessert table, so I told her not to panic, and explained that I would be in town the week before the party. I got with Connie Crow Stamps and we got the cakes ordered. Trudy and her husband Howard kindly picked up the three cakes and got them to the clubhouse on Saturday. Mission accomplished and many thanks to both of you!
On Friday, before our party, I realized we had some additional helium balloons that needed to be picked up at Party City, on Saturday morning. A plea went out and Marsha Payne Johnson volunteered to pick them up. I also want to also thank Marsha, Connie Brock Mejia and Billie Brashears Alvarez for greeting everyone at the nametag table. You welcomed everyone with smiles and kind greetings!
Thanks to the Tusa's for being the keeper's of the wonderfully preserved class panoramic photo and flag. Thanks, Leonard, for getting the required officer's to be present at our party. Many of you may not realize that the clubhouse requires two officers to be present when alcohol is present at the clubhouse, even when it is BYOB. Gee, I am thankful we were a mild mannered bunch!
Thanks to Jimmy Miller and Harry Harelik for managing the reservations as they were mailed in. Harry keeps an excellent "check" on our class finances! Both of them kept me updated, via texts and e-mail's.
A special thanks to Jimmy and Dana for the Face Time, "Happy Birthday", to Jason Chozick, who's BD fell on March 30th. For those who did not know, Jason was celebrating his birthday in California.
Thank you, Tom Fitzhugh, for the prayer before our meal. Our blessed food was delicious!
Thanks to spouses, who graciously assisted with the setting up and taking down the numerous party items.
Thanks to RSVP Rentals for being so understanding and kind. We thought we were going to rent a few items and, two weeks prior to the party, we realized we did not need anything. I decided to boldly ask if they had any employees who might consider working "after hours" to help us set up tables and break them down. Within 20 minutes, an employee called, telling me that she and her sister would like to have the job. Several of us were impressed with the extraordinary job they did. We left the clubhouse in pristine condition, so much so, that the park ranger excitedly proclaimed: “This place is spic and span"!
Some of you, and I do not know who all of "you" are, "tucked in a little extra", to help cover expenses, and several offered to do so. What a generous bunch we have! Thank you! A few receipts are still out, but I do believe we stayed "on budget".
***Time permitting, some of you may want to go on-line and rate the caterer and clubhouse. All positive comments are welcomed!***
As I said, it takes a TEAM to create a successful party and I am thrilled that we worked together so well We have a remarkable class and the older we get, the more we seem to enjoy one another. Thanks to all of you who made the effort to attend. For some of you, it was a great expense and your presence was a special blessing. We missed those of you who wanted to join us but were unable to attend. To those who are still reluctant to attend a class gathering, you are missed. If you will reconsider and come to future class gatherings, you will be met with hugs and find yourself in the midst of many lively conversations. We have such a good group and I am most thankful to be a member of the Class of '67.
It was an honor to serve you!
Ronda Roberts Garner
Contributed by Rick Rutherford. Something we all should remember.
Interesting Veterans Statistics off the Vietnam Memorial Wall.
There are 58,267 names now listed on that polished black wall, including those added in 2010.
The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. It is hard to believe it is 57 years since the first casualty.
The first known casualty was Richard B. Fitzgibbon, of North Weymouth, Mass. Listed by the U.S.Department of Defense as having been killed on June 8, 1956. His name is listed on the Wall with that of his son, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Richard B. Fitzgibbon III, who was killed on Sept. 7, 1965.
There are three sets of fathers and sons on the Wall.
39,996 on the Wall were just 22 or younger.
8,283 were just 19 years old.
The largest age group, 33,103 were 18 years old.
12 soldiers on the Wall were 17 years old.
5 soldiers on the Wall were 16 years old.
One soldier, PFC Dan Bullock was 15 years old.
997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam ..
1,448 soldiers were killed on their last day in Vietnam ..
31 sets of brothers are on the Wall.
Thirty one sets of parents lost two of their sons.
54 soldiers attended Thomas Edison High School in Philadelphia . I wonder why so many from one school.
8 Women are on the Wall, Nursing the wounded.
244 soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War; 153 of them are on the Wall.
Beallsville, Ohio with a population of 475 lost 6 of her sons.
West Virginia had the highest casualty rate per capita in the nation. There are 711 West Virginians on the Wall.
The Marines of Morenci - They led some of the scrappiest high school football and basketball teams that the little Arizona copper town of Morenci (pop. 5,05 had ever known and cheered. They enjoyed roaring beer busts. In quieter moments, they rode horses along the Coronado Trail, stalked deer in the Apache National Forest. And in the patriotic camaraderie typical of Morenci's mining families, the nine graduates of Morenci High enlisted as a group in the Marine Corps. Their service began on Independence Day, 1966. Only 3 returned home.
The Buddies of Midvale - Leroy Taffy, Jimmy Martinez, Tom Gonzales were all boyhood friends and lived on three consecutive streets in Midvale, Utah on Fifth, Sixth and Seventh avenues. They lived only a few yards apart. They played ball at the adjacent sandlot ball field. And they all went to Vietnam. In a span of 16 dark days in late 1967, all three would be killed. Leroy was killed on Wednesday, Nov. 22, the fourth anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assassination. Jimmy died less than 24 hours later, on Thanksgiving Day. Tom was shot dead assaulting the enemy on Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
The most casualty deaths for a single day was on January 31, 1968 ~ 245 deaths.
The most casualty deaths for a single month was May 1968 - 2,415 casualties were incurred.> For most Americans who read this they will only see the numbers that the Vietnam War created. To those of us who survived the war, and to the families of those who did not, we see the faces, we feel the pain that these numbers created. We are, until we too pass away, haunted with these numbers, because they were our friends, fathers, husbands, wives, sons and daughters. There are no noble wars, just noble warriors.
Contributed by Ronda Roberts Garner
I received this e-mail from Ronda this morning.
Contributed by Harry Harelik
Letter from Billy Ray Gerrick
.jpg)