I am currently working with a few of my H.S. classmates to gather to celebrate the 50 years since we graduated. One good reason to attend the reunion is to share our journeys over those 50 years. And that is one of the reasons I am going to attend. But, a more fundamental reason for me is the simple opportunity to say thanks. The Good Lord blessed me with a good memory but I was never very good at expressing appropriate thanks to the classmates who made a difference in my life, often without even knowing it. Carol Katzman, Sherry Carr, Bob Tecau, and Larry Staudmeister in the classroom, Brenda McKinney and Linda Reese in college type B.S. sessions, and Allan Bogan, Jamie Rivers and Ernie McElroy, who epitomized for me class both on and off the sports field. This reunion has or will offer a chance to say thanks to these classmates and many others.

Finally, I hope that each of you will share the joy I feel reaching out to the men and women who are part of the fabric of our youth. Sometimes the best way to appreciate where you are is to remember where you have been. Classmates can help one with that task and I hope you will give them that chance.