Please note this is not the FH Collins school website. This website is for the FH Collins alumni of 1980 - 1989.
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Speech from Saturday night ... not sure anyone could hear so I thought I would post.
Fellow Students and Teachers, Guests, Friends, Ladies’ and Gentlemen:
It has been several years since we last met as schoolmates, here in Whitehorse, upon the occasion of our tenor at FHC. Whether you liked her or loved her FH and its classmates and teachers had some influence over who each of us are today. I have to say FH sure is looking old … at the tour on Friday I am pretty sure I sat in the same desk I did back in 1985. I could clearly picture Keith Halliday sitting in the chair beside me in geography…those were good times. The desk was a little smaller more than likely it is because I grew and I seem to remember Keith had a bit more hair than today ... regardless … tonight is not about our waistlines or hairlines it is about lifelines. Please rise and join me in a toast to FHC …. Happy 50th!!!
It is inevitable, in the span of years, between our walking the old halls that many of our teachers and classmates will have been taken from us. It is, therefore, altogether fitting and proper that we should pause in this hour of levity and reflect in our own lives the memory of those who have died. I ask that we now bow our heads in silent meditation, and each of us in his/her own way, pay tribute to the memory of those who do not answer when their names are called.
Poem read by Tracy Wright:
Now the hour of reunion has arrived,
In this room of mirth and cheer;
And silence descends as if from heaven,
Upon the group assembled here.
Slowly die the fire’s last embers,
As the night grows still and serene,
And we toast our absent classmates
Who have passed beyond the screen.
We behold with eyes grown older,
With eyes that have a magic scope,
Life’s abandoned fires that smolder
On the distant trail of hope;
And our memories are beguiling
When the lights are soft and low,
For we see our classmates smiling
As they smiled long years ago.
So to you, our absent classmates,
With our hearts and hands held high,
We drink a toast to your sweet memory
That will never, never die.
Thanks to some pretty special ladies and a few good men we are gathered here tonight…..I would like to first off apologize to the ladies that unknowingly signed up to bunk with me for the reunion in a RV without realizing this would mean they too would be decorating, printing, running, gluing, using carburetor cleaner and brake cleaner to take the layers of glue off after it stuck to their hands. Tracy Wright, Catherine Williamson and Heather Kingsley … you guys have been outstanding.
Myrna if you could come up … a small token of our appreciation for really making the big event happen!!! Not sure it would have happened without you.
Jeanette Schmidt – the newest member of the team … joined us when we looked up in a panic to realize we had no accountant to keep all the records straight. Thanks for stepping up and I know your job will continue on for several days after all this is over just trying to make sense of our chicken scratches and the “I cant remember at some random spot in the drunken state of, I don’t know was it Thursday, or Friday somebody said they were coming and handed me money.”
Debbie Nikon and Laura Eby… they were in it from the beginning. The numerous calls, planning mishaps, the countless questions and legwork prior to getting here all things these ladies contributed. Thanks for your support
And to finally Jo-El Buerlen. I saved the best for last. Not only a party planner one I call friend. This is our second trip together and I can’t think of anyone I would rather do the journey with. It seemed whenever I hit a wall she was always there to tell me it could be done.
I would like to also acknowledge Ryan Hannah for always being the first to put up his hand to volunteer and actually following through, Shirley Hill for the same. Lastly Linda Viennott and Michele Pierce for the donations of advertising. The absolute hardest part of this is getting the word out. Thanks!
That’s all I got … David the floor is yours. Thanks for making tonight one I am sure we will all remember.
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