Post date: Oct 20, 2010 6:45:53 AM
On a recent jaunt to the South Side early in September, I drove with a friend by Bowen and noticed the doors were open. With visions of the 5th floor study hall in our heads, we entered the building and were greeted by security guards. When we explained that we had graduated in '66, they were more than happy to allow us to roam the school, stopping at stairwells, the lunchroom, and any parts of the school that brought back memories of where we heard the news that John F. Kennedy had been shot or the stairwell where Mr. Vandas reprimanded me for wearing culottes (yikes, my knees were showing) and sent me home to change. The final feat was climbing the five flights to the fifth floor study hall (now the detention room). While the floor was freshly waxed and the desks long departed, plaster from the ceiling was peeling and the smell of our Bowen of 1966 lingered on. It was definitely a day for reminiscing with a final stop at a deserted rainbow beach and a beautiful view of the Chicago skyline. Although so much has changed, the wonderful memories still remain.
Sandy (Bruski) Wagner