Lamar High Class of '64
Reunions
55th REUNION April 26 & 27. 2019, organizers Roland Sledge & Judy Hutchison
50th REUNION May 2-3, 2014, organizers Roland Sledge & Judy Hutchison
The Lamar High School Class of 1964 held its 46th Reunion/"When I'm 64" in Houston October 8-9, 2010.
Before, at, & since our gathering, classmates offered abbreviated stories of post-Lamar lives, as recorded below.
More at Lamar Reunion/Directory & Orenda; artistic products in "Follow" & Lamar Review; 45th Reunion 'gone but not forgotten,' Lamar Alumni/ae Facebook page
John Augsburger: Senior scientist in oilfield service industry, worked for one company for 43 years. In Bellaire, “never moved far from West University where I grew up”
Meredith Ball Griffis: “Married for 42 years to Dave Griffis (Lamar ’63), 3 daughters, 5 grandchildren. Dave’s still working as a lawyer; I’m singing in the choir, playing Mah Jongg and enjoying my grandchildren! Life is good."
Bruce Conway Barnes: moved to CA (Chatsworth, San Fernando Valley) and "still partying"
Sallie Barry Kraus
Roy Beery
Skipper Berry: “I’ve done nothing at all.” 3 kids, 8 grandkids
Jean Berberian Carney: “a teacher all my life, at the same school as my daughter” – 4th grade, creative writing for HISD
Fred Bland: architect in New York City
Charles Blanton: "I was the one who took all the photos for the Orenda. As I throw NOTHING away, I still have every negative from every photo that was ever in that publication for the duration of my tenure at Lamar. The people look great, with black hair, no oxygen cylinder cart, and it looks like everyone weighed around 110 lbs. I still live in H-Town, have lived in several other places but have always returned. I used to work at KNUZ and have many old Top 40 surveys from the mid 60's. I may even have some of my clothes from Lamar that fit ... well, almost fit."
Genny Bohlman Evans
John Shelby Bryan: UT, Golden Gloves, etc.
Pam Cecil Liebman: “I keep trying that marriage thing,” moving from Houston to Davidson NC for grandkids
Joe Joseph Campbell Clemmons III: taught band and music and managed a tree farm in northern Tyler County
Doug Craig: “I honestly can’t believe I’m not still in Lamar High School.” In NY 1971-80, back to Houston 1980
Tommy Cramer
Tim Timothy Paul Creedon, Jr.: still in Houston. “My mother prayed a lot: everything good happened to me, without my having to earn it.”
Harold/Hal Dantone (Houston): retired Navy pilot, retired lawyer
Terry Dexter Newton
Judy Dietz Cottrell
Tommy Tom Dill
Susan Donoghue Weber
Lora Downing Moore: kids, degrees, data processing, retired in Denver & “trying to travel as much as I can”
Arlen Driscoll: Houston lawyer
Diann Driver Turet: attended UT, married, divorced, raised kids on own in Houston, worked at church for 40 years, have grandchildren
Belle Drye Petkas: returned to Houston & married Peter Petkas since 35th Reunion, “still dancing, w/ 2 great kids, 4 granddaughters, 2 wonderful husbands”
Bill Dupre: U of Houston geology
John Epstein: Lamar Creative Writing Club/Lamar Review, directed "Follow" performance. Rice, music. Has lived/worked in FL, Santa Barbara, LA, NYC, Houston
Jackie Eubanks Shaw: “I’ve done a lot: had family, gone back to school, teaching mostly in Sugarland”
Jerry Farley: took over at Farley’s Drive-in @ Scott & Blodgett following father’s shooting death, then married & moved to Philadelphia (“a disaster, too cold”), returned to Texas (“I’ll never leave”), “Mr. Mom” to daughter Angela, moved to Fredericksburg (“like Houston in the old days”)
Bob Ferguson: industrial real estate development; investor, Hoffman House Premium Beer
William Flanagan
Kay Fletcher Cooksey
Joan Frensley Smith
Priscilla Fullilove Fish: English teacher at Bellaire HS
Gary Fulton: “worked too hard”
LeeRoy Garrett: retired Farmers Ins. Agent, golf business for 15-20 years in Beaumont. Sorry to miss 46th w/ ticker problems, hoping to attend 50th
Lex Gillan: Founded The Yoga Institute, one of the oldest independent yoga studios in the country, in 1974, and built business to four studios (Houston, Clear Lake, Sugarland, Bryan College Station)
Judith Gordon Frost: a career in photojournalism with Texas Monthly & other publications, has a photo in the holdings of the Museum of Modern Art
Lloyd Gregory: “basically a teacher, mostly in Dallas”
Cheryl Ann Hanson
Sharon Haralson Brown: “I’ve lived: graduated Texas Tech, married college sweetheart Ron, who was 4-year submariner while I taught school in cities along the E coast. Ron then to SMU law school, I teach. Live in Dallas area 38 yrs. Two sons, 4 grandkids, retiring to 100-year-owned family land in Nocona. I have made and sold leaded and fused glass art for 30 years."
Ralph Harp Jr.: got degrees in history, English, psychology from Sam Houston, “on the Dean’s List at times.” 40 years in insurance business, aviation & aerospace projects in Houston
Kris Kristen Haynesworth (pictured at left, w/ Kathy Lightfoot): "raised a wonderful daughter, Sloan," in Houston
Dan Daniel K. Hedges: Law, Houston Bobbie Robert Wayne Hellbusch
Marilee Herren Stephens
Stuart Hill: “I feel lucky, my child has a job.”
Judy Holmes Hutchison: mother & grandmother
John Jack Hoover: "great memories of Lamar. Since then 40 years married, 3 kids, 5 grandkids" – all attended UT.
Joan Hubbard Russell
Martha Huebel: “I’ve stayed relatively sane.”
Grady Hughes
John James
Linda Jones Landua (at left, w/ Sandra Lester): worked for the Cayman Islands Tourism Board for 30 years, now in Marble Falls TX
Ed Junell
Suzanne Kamrath Kelley (pictured below)
William Joseph Kent
Carol Kindel Flack: TCU grad, married, divorced. Taught school for 28 years in Fort Worth, remarried & moved to Huntsville, husband died. Daughter & grandson
Julie Kinney Winslow: “raising hell in Mexico” www.posadadelasminas.com
Sue Ellen Kirby Webb
Ceci Klep Gatlin
Susan Kolius Fouilloud-Buyat: moved back & forth between Houston & Lyon, France. Kids & grandkids, golf & gardening
Margaret Lane Lovett (by e-mail): At Vanderbilt U, TN; scholarship includes coordination of a 10-year study on depression, “I plan to retire when it ends in 2012.”
Stuart Lang: "graduated from Lee, made it to 65"
Rick Richard Lasser: Houston-LA-Bainbridge Island WA, with business and screen-writing
Sandra Lester McBride (pictured above)
Kathleen Lewis Murray (pictured below): "raised 2 wonderful kids, sold real estate. Living in S Brazoria County with lots of wildlife, fishing & loving life."
Susan Light Lawhon: married 38 years to Jim Lawhon, Lamar ‘63. Born in Tanglewood, lived in Brenham, now back in Houston.
Cathy Lightfoot (pictured above): “There’s nothing like continuing to walk alongside those who knew you w/ stringy hair & skinny legs, who call you ‘birdlegs.’” "I remember Hoffman House/Hoffa Hi Runka." "I have had a wonderful life! I have 4 fabulous children, 2 daughters in CA & 2 sons in the South, TX & LA. Four wonderful grandchildren, a horse & a dog! I am the Director of Marketing for The Buckingham, a Senior Retirement Community. I moved home to Houston from Baton Rouge to take this position. It has been wonderful to be back, I have reconnected with so many of my friends & we have been enjoying life to the fullest!!"
Doug McCaskill: “I hope I’ve been a decent person.” Left Houston in 1969, now lives in St. Louis. Brings regards from Lane Smith Corbin
Micki McClelland: food writer, lately in Kerrville
Dan McCrary: “I’ve had fun.”
Howard McCollum: “I’ve become more liberal.”
Bill William Hogg McDugald: “I’ve gotten much wiser, achieved painfully.” Lives in Hunt in a house on the Guadalupe River north fork
Bob McGhee: "helped plan 48 research buildings around the world"
Scott Mgebroff: went to UT, lived in Austin ever since. 35 years lab director for Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Daryl Miller Green
Laurie Montgomery
Mary Montgomery Jeter
Paul Moore: went to Lamar, Kinkaid, graduated from Lee. Retired from restaurant business in Houston
Malcolm Stewart Morris: “I run Stewart Title for a living, and Living Water International is what I live to do.” Non-profit providing water to hospitals, churches, schools, etc. in developing countries.
Mary Dee Neal: unretired real estate broker “in the loop” in Houston
Nancy Neil McElyea: “I’ve grown up & grown old.” Career in accounting, Oklahoma City. "I wish I'd studied drama."
Charles Joseph Neilson MD: “Born on an island (Galveston) and I never looked back.” "Our high school rock band "The Comets" ... included two other geniuses besides myself, Campbell Green and Tommy Cramer as well as Phillip Thomas or Keith Karnacky sometimes." “I’ve worked harder than I ever thought I would.” Marine in Vietnam, medical school in NY/Albany/UCLA. “Everything I choose is hard, maximizing my capabilities.”
Louis Noack: “I made it through.”
Joanne Oltmann: a nurse, now retired
Jane Park Boyles: in Houston, “just trying to keep up with kids” & family & work
Ann Parsley Harper: "wrote a book, lived in Corpus Christi, became a chaplain." 3 kids, 8 grandchildren
Keith Pasho/Aurora Pajeau: “Should I buy a red Mustang?” neurologist in North Carolina
Scott Peden
David Perry: “a complex sentence: I married right 9 years ago, have 3 great children”
Phil Peterson: d. 1/17/11
Peter Petkas: “father of a wonderful son, husband of a wonderful wife” (classmate Belle Drye), see blog
Richard Pulley: "After Rice, Peace Corps, and Navy, I settled into a career of international petroleum geology, from which my wife and I have recently retired to Atascadero, California."
Marcy Pyle Bennett: real estate in Houston; travel to Belize, Africa, the Caribbean
“Skip” Lloyd Bird Quinby: house on Galveston Bay burned to the ground; “there’s only me,” “a genuine merchant maritime captain”
Blake Redding: lawyer practicing for nearly 30 years in France, later/currently in Abu Dhabi
Shirley Revis Redwine: Rice general counsel 1990-2000, mediator
AG “Buddy” Roberts
Margaret Rosencranz/Marga Rose Hancock: Lamar Creative Writing Club/Lamar Review, "Follow" co-director. Living/working/writing in Seattle since 1971. Stays in touch w/ nonReU classmates John Epstein, Rick Lasser (now living directly across Puget Sound), Richard Pulley (CA), Alan Sachs (NY) among others. "'Who'd believe we graduated from a 'whites-only' school?' asks the daughter of an immigrant."Alan Sachs (Astoria, NY): in a 9/24/10 letter, Alan recalled moments w/ John Epstein, Laurie Montgomery, Richard Pulley, Meredith Ball, Dirk Bennett, Grady Hughes, Shirley Revis, Clark Gregg, Blake Redding, Lonnie Schooler, Judy Arnold, Ryland Safford, Sandy Hockensmith, Rick Lasser; and also teachers Mrs. Goodrich, Miss Buchanan, Ruth Denney, Mr. Costlow, Mrs. Junger
Ryland Safford Stacy: “Life is great in Houston, NYC, Saudi Arabia, Dallas, Bucks County PA.” Husband w/ Mobil OilJack Sarfati
Mike Sarfati
Paul Schoenfield: "still an architect," practicing in Austin
Lonnie Lionel M. Schooler: met Marsha, attended U of Pennsylvania and UT law school, has practiced employment and business litigationlaw in Houston since 1974
Tetine Sentell Werlein: “still married to Chip, since 1971,” with 2 grown girls
Julie Shinn Moritz
Janice Siever Smulcer: “on the go, never stop.” Co-founded non-profit Values Through History, www.valuesthroughhistory.org
Roland Sledge (pictured at left): After 30 years as an oil and gas lawyer, running for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission: “a great last hurrah”
Ashley Smith: Orenda editor, “married the most wonderful, accomplished, dedicated woman in the world:” Dr. Peggy Smith, from Dallas
Ellen Jaclyn Smith: one of Charlie’s Angels, www.jaclynsmith.com/October 2013: " Female Celebrities over 60 still looking fabulous," in Madame Noire
Gavin Harris Smith
Sarah Smith Bell: children & grandchildren, near Houston
Mike Stavinoha: born and raised in Houston, "proudest of new bride and great grandchildren"
Sharon Stephens Herbert: raised a family & “moved constantly” (18 times)Richard Cobb Sucher II: “I’ve partied all the way.” Own business in Des Moines, IA for 31 years, Married 36 years, visiting Houston places first known w/ the late Barry DeBakeyBecky Sumners Anthony: moved to CA in 1965 w/ husband, next marriage 20 years ago, lived in Bryan. 2 girls, 4 grandkids including twin boys
Patsy Tauber Bell
Cathy Taylor Perry (at ReU w/ Steve Kane): lived in LaGrange across from “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," now in Houston; “I have grown." 46th ReU: “picking up an unfinished book & reading the next chapter”
Jimmy James Bates Thomas III: “I have survived” in Jacksonville FL since 1973
Sandy Thornton Weinrich
Dick Tottenham: “stayed in trouble & in Houston,” owned real estate & air conditioning companies (d. 2/4/11)
Harvey Evans Trammell
Joan Unger Davis
Nancy Varner Epley: “inquisitive smile,” a real estate career & kids in Houston
Don Ward
Wyatt Wade (e-mail): “I’ve focused on family, home, publishing, friends, Worcester, Cape Cod, Maine, travel, and having lots of fun. My passion has always been art, design, education, sustainable culture, and laughing. My motto: Onward through the fog.” www.davisart.com
Dana Weaver: “I worked my ass off.”
Chip Presley Ewing Werlein (shown at left at ReU Briar Club event): CPA, "lots of service" for education (Kinkaid Foundation), "lots of business travel." Solar/sustainable tax credits for schools via Parismina Advisors
Chris Williams Ayres
Nancy Wise Martin: “Hopefully I’ve grown up, but probably not.”
With many thanks to Roland Sledge, Linda Jones Landua, Judith Gordon Frost, Judy Holmes Hutchison, Kristen Haynesworth, and others who helped organize the Reunion.
In the words of journalist P. J. O'Rourke born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1947 and author of Parliament of Whores: A Lone Humorist Attempts to Explain the Entire U.S. Government (1991), Give War a Chance (1992), and Driving Like Crazy (2009):
"... one finds, especially by the time one reaches one's fifties, that there are a limited number of types of people in the world, and you went to high school with every single one of them. You can visit the Eskimos, you can visit the Bushmen in the Kalahari, you can go to Israel, you can go to Egypt, but everybody you meet is going to be somebody you went to high school with."