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As the webmaster... of TexasHigh72.com I wanted to share some of my experiences of the THS'72 30th Reunion. Self indulgent, I admit, but here it is regardless. I'm sure there are many other more interesting stories connected to this reunion that would be worth publishing. I suspect the organizing of this reunion has few interesting stories behind it. {Which reminds me, I'm sure we all want to thank Dianna Randall Patterson for organizing not only this 30th Reunion, but also the 20th Reunion.} Also, I'm afraid there are several tragic stories concerning some folks who wanted to attend the 30th Reunion but couldn't, or attended the Reunion, and passed away shortly thereafter. First, setting up this website was truly an exercise in frustration, but it was educational and rewarding. The experience definitely awoke many memories of my Texarkana and Texas High School days. And while I was reminded of many wonderful events from those days, I also recalled how many stupid things I did and got away with...lucky me. My work was rewarded with many emails from old friends both thanking me for my efforts and catching me up with their lives. And I became friends with Janet Rogers Collins who was a gold mine of old THS trivia/mementoes. With the website up and running several months prior to the reunion, I had quite a lot of time and enthusiasm to plan my trip to Texarkana. The 1050 mile drive from Denver to Texarkana is a long one for just 2 days. So, I was very happy when John Smith invited me to his "Farm Reunion" the week before THS's 30th Reunion. I'd been to the Smith's family farm several times during my junior and senior high days, and I have many happy memories of those weekend trips. Also, Camp Pioneer, the Boy Scout camp which I have numerous early memories of, is just 10 or so miles away. To finish off this 30th Reunion nostalgia tour I decided I would end my Texas vacation with a visit to Austin and the University of Texas where I moved after graduating from THS. While at the 30th Reunion, RP and Peggy Watson, some of my very best friends from THS days, invited me to stay at their new home in Austin. They were literally building their unique home themselves, had finished the interior, and now were getting ready to finish the exterior. They treated me like a prince for several days, inviting old friends over to visit, preparing great meals, and driving me all over the Hill Country. I don't think I'll ever be able to thank them enough for entertaining me and letting me share part of their lives during those hectic days of construction. Including some pictures here of RP and Peggy and their new
home brings my story full cycle: building the website, the Pre-Reunion at
John's farm, the 30th Reunion in Texarkana, and the Post-Reunion at RP and
Peggy's in Austin. I can only hope that others had half the fun and
acquired half the memories I did at the Texas High School class of '72 30th
Reunion.
Lloyd Vickery
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