LRCHS Class of '59 Home Page

Reuniting the LRCHS Lost Class of '59

by Fallon Davis, D.D.S.

Many would argue that having a high school reunion for a class that never graduated from that high school doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Well, like Don Quixote flailing at windmills, here we go again trying to make some sense out of what turned out to be an historical time in 1958-59.

Gary Smith, a writer for Sports Illustrated, wrote an insightful article that was published in the magazine in the spring of '07. It focused on the '57-'58 LRCHS football team. The title of the article was "Blindsided by History ". He was referring specifically to the team. However, that might also serve as an appropriate description of what happened to our class in that fateful autumn of 1958.

As naïve 16 and 17 year olds expecting to begin that benchmark senior year in the rite of passage in American education, none of us realized at the time the overwhelming implications of the events that were to unfold in the coming months. All the preparations were in motion in those typical dog days of summer to begin another senior year for us at our beloved Central. The two a day grind of football practices in the hot searing sun of August had begun. Cheerleaders were making sure uniforms were fitted and they were rehearsing each cheer to perfection. Band members were dusting off music, trying on uniforms and preparing their instruments. Teachers were reviewing curriculum choices and preparing classrooms. In short, it seemed to be just another chapter in the idyllic 50's ready to begin.

However, it just never did begin. To be sure, all of us felt that school would begin tomorrow, wouldn't it? After all, there were what appeared to be mature, intelligent adults at all levels of education and government who had the student's best interest at heart. They would surely make sensible decisions to allow our lives to continue as normal. As we all know, that is not the way things happened in Camelot for us. The fact that the schools did not open forced innocent 17 and 18 year olds and their parents to make difficult decisions about their future that, quite frankly, many were not prepared to make. For most, life had a way of sorting things out that allowed them to persevere and survive. However, there were also some who probably got lost in the cracks.

Well, 50 years have passed since the events of those days long gone by that changed our lives so dramatically. It's now time to reunite once again and rehash the good times. We all know that the media and politicians have massaged that time in our lives beyond what any of us might be able to do, especially in the last year. Although our 50th reunion is significant in terms of time and the eventual history that developed around us, we all lived those times and the overwhelming majority has no desire to relive it again. It is the wish of the reunion committee that this reunion be one of fun and joyous celebration in reminiscing about times past and rekindling old friendships.

So come, enjoy and be a part of the 50th reunion of the Lost Class of '59.

Commemorative Sketch by Richard DeSpain,
Dedicated to the "Lost Class of 1959"
About the Artist