It was a wonderful reunion, greatly exceeding expectations. Harry Truman
Moore, Roy Ockert, Jay Clark, Jake Hampton and others I have probably
offended by omission worked hard to get this together. They did a marvelous
job.
The event was very well attended. I think we had 230 at the banquet. Others
with scheduling conflicts made appearances at various events.
Those of you who did not attend were greatly missed, talked about a lot, and
were left defenseless. Unchecked, I could continue my standard practice of
blaming Bill Walker for anything that got us in trouble.
I awoke for the golf tournament early Saturday and went outside to look at
the rain. While I am pretty hard core, I determined that I would not play in
this kind of weather even if they had Heather Locklear in the middle of the
18th green giving a demonstration of a fertility rite. An hour later Roy O
jolts me out of bed with the news that it was a light rain and they were
going to play. Miraculously, when we got to the first green it stopped
raining. We had a great time though Tiger Woods did not ask us for tips.
It was great to see Blake Massey. He truly is Jimmy Buffet's illegitimate
brother. I am still amazed that the U.S. government placed a lot of you behind
the controls of some very expensive aircraft.
The general consensus among many was that among the best preserved of us was
the esteemed Edward Chappell. In college he was an offensive guard. Now he
is a lean, but not mean, machine. We also owe him multiple kudos for
resurrecting the names and e-mail addresses of some extinct alums. He was
able to scrape off the moss from Larry Magness. I have already enough
material from Bettye (notice the correct spelling) Holland for a year's worth
of episodes of Days Of Our Lives. In one more visit I would be able to put
the finishing touches on the novel I have named WAR AND PIECE.
Tom Bishop still shows no remorse for committing acts of heresy as the
dreaded pledge trainer who commanded me to a meeting of Dr. Homer Huitt's
Young Ministers Alliance so I could get an A in his class and we would have
another picture in our green and gold yearbook.
With apologies to ZZ Top, John Phelps is A Sharp Dressed Man.
I have no idea if Dupwe is quitting his job, but he has a great potential
retirement income as a source of hair plug transplants. In the current
market I believe his head is worth 250-500K.
It was great to see Doug and Crystal Wood and her sister, Sue, whom I have
been trying to marry since the 7th grade.
I was able to see Bill & Kay Wells for 45 minutes as they were passing
through to her mother's house in West Plains. We had an incorrect address on
him, and I was unable to reach him until just before the reunion. I have an
extended experience with these two and would like to offer some background
that you may have forgotten or did not know, some of which acknowledges his
contributions to our fraternity.
In his senior year of high school, he was one of the most recruited running
backs in the state. At 6'3" and 225 lbs, he had speed, ranking high in the
sprints. I believe he ranked 4th in the 220 and had a scholarship to U of A.
Then there was this incident the summer before he went to college where he
was mowing grass and managed to mow several of his toes. Not wanting to
listen to what some would say at U of A, he came to ASU with his friend
David Norris. (Gold stars to anyone who can contact him).
When I arrived on the scene, I was amazed how we could win so many trophies,
but we never could win in flag football. The other inferior and obviously
jealous fraternities gave us a ration of grief and, much to our
consternation and chagrin, referred to us by names that I cannot repeat.
All of that changed when Jim Calloway stepped in as our quarterback and Bill
stood in front of him as the blocking back. He played with the disposition
and temperament of a coiled cobra. Displaying an affinity for the ribs,
stomach and knees, I am reasonably sure he still holds the intramural
record for causing the most opponents to seek medical attention. It was a
beautiful thing to watch. Along with a good line, defense and talented
receivers, we were able to get that football monkey off our backs. I think
we won it each year they were there.
He graduated after me and came to St. Louis as a manger for Chrysler, and we
rented a house for a couple of years. With his heart in the lost and found,
we took out two teachers who were roommates. He married the lovely Kay, who
spent many of her waking hours giving me a very difficult time. Of course, I
have no idea why.
Ed, to answer your question, here is the contact information on Bill Wells.
Let this also serve as a reminder to all of us who are able to provide
updates to forward them the HT, Roy O or Jay Clark.
Bill & Kay Wells
2697 Caledonia Rd
El Dorado, AR 71730
870-924-5131
bkkwells@yahoo.com
There were a couple of pleasant surprises. Firstly, as the 50th Reunion,
there were a lot of old guys, or those older than us. As I suspected, Bob
Yates at # 3 looked as good as anybody. I did not realize that in the late
50's a group of 300 Korean War Vets, armed with the GI Bill, descended on
Arkansas State. As they were 4-6 years older than the typical freshman, they did
not connect with the typical fraternity. Some of them were married; some had
children. In one of the great lines uttered I believe it was Jim Stephens,
who said that if they wanted to go on a panty raid, they just went home.
They founded a veterans club which connected with Lambda Chi. It was
interesting to hear them relate the story how they received their charter at
4 PM to find themselves on probation at 1AM in the morning. Still in denial,
they attributed this development to an over consumption of "Pepsies."
The other surprise occurred when we finished the banquet and moved back to
the Holidome where we had a large room reserved. There we got to see Dupwe
do what Dupwe has done. Richard McCann is still the man. I had forgotten
about Jose Jiminez.
But the surprise came in the form of the kids. There was a group of actives
and young alums who were great dancers. Also on the floor were a couple of
current versions of Tom Ham and Tommy Taggert's wives. They had all of us as
a cheering section. We danced with them vicariously, cognizant that we were
incapable of such moves. They were really cute and should be a talent
feature of any future reunion.
A few weeks ago, HTM sent me an e-mail and floated the trial balloon of a
separate 60's reunion, possibly a BIG CHILL reunion. Like him, I am ready to
follow, but I cannot lead. I no longer have the staff that allows me to
organize anything. My computer skills are imbecilic. My ability to search is
slightly above TRYING TO FIND A NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK. If someone wants to
put this together, we are there.
All of us are at that station in life where we must confront the chilling
reality that around the next big curve might be a major intersection
punctuated by a large STOP sign. The next intersection of the fraternity we
should look at is April, 2014. That is the 55th reunion and for most of us
would be around 50 years. If we cannot do something before this, I am asking
each of you to commit to attending this one. This should give you plenty of
time to get this on your schedule.
Let us all stay in touch. Thanks again for a great reunion. I wish each of
you health and happiness.
Lon Simmons
Iota Theta 186
314-578-6181