For millennia, diamonds have been the hardest natural material known to man ... and preternaturally desired by women. Diamonds have been treasured since their use in religious icons in ancient India, and the earliest written reference to them can be found in Buddhist texts dating to about 296 BCE. Diamonds quickly became associated with divinity, and were also believed to bring good fortune to those who possessed them. The Diamond Sutra, the oldest dated print book in the world, printed in the 9th Year of the Xiantong Era of the Tang Dynasty (that's 868 CE to us), references Buddha's metaphor of the "diamond blade that will cut through worldly illusion to illuminate what is real and everlasting ...."
So it seems that true, deep and lasting friendships may be likened to diamonds ... for their indestructability and endurance, for their brilliance and illumination of our personal worlds, for the clarity and color and fire they bring to our lives. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: "A friend is one before whom I may think aloud." I cannot imagine a better way to describe friendship. Emerson also compared spare moments to "uncut diamonds", and adjured us to guard such moments well. "Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life." I believe that some of our treasured spare moments, when shared with cherished friends, are truly among the gemstones, the blessings, of our lives.
The May 19, 1963 Senior Edition of The Corral is a veritable mine of Bobcat Treasure. As I have previously written, I intend to offer these treasures incrementally, and Nicki and I hope they will illuminate a memory you will share, or perhaps light and "polish" a connection with friends from long ago, or that they will simply dazzle you with their brilliance (!) into updating what has happened to you, and your friends who may be mentioned here (or later), since we left CHS. And so, in no particular order, I give you diamonds ....
1963 Seniors Will Be Remembered By ...
Jacky Petty: Singing like Elvis, football player. (Okay, that takes care of the Elvis impersonator .... Last seen by this writer in Childress in 2002, on a somber occasion, listening to our "official" class song, "Sooner or Later" ....)
Nicki Sooter: Mardi Gras Queen, cute. (Blogmeister, still cute, wife of Jim and mother of "cat's meow" ....)
Joe Don Hopkins: Football player, Most School Spirit. (We are waiting for Joe's "spirit" to move him to leave a comment or a story ... Wimberley Weekend Warrier October 2001 ....)
Clara Robinson: Cheerleader, 1962 Homecoming Queen. (Hangin' out in the Hill Country with Don and thanked here for her comments to date ... also Wimberley Weekend ....)
Jimmy Czewski: Trips to Tell, drawing, Corral staff. (An osteopath ... unless I am misinformed ... in Tarrant County ... who taught Sheila's son Robin a few years ago ....)
Betty Smith: Spanish Club, sense of humor. (We'd love to see some of the inspirational poetry she mentioned in her first ... and to date only ... comment to this blog ....)
John Eeds: Most Intellectual, science award. (John, are you out there? Does anyone have any information?)
Sheila Davis: Band President, twirler. (Co-conspirator on the Wimberley Weekend in October 2001, living in Austin ....)
Reed Lockhoof: Golf team, basketball. (Last glimpsed hanging around the Texas Attorney General's Office in Austin ....)
Pat Davenport: Twirler and Freshman Favorite. (Celebrating the "New Year" with her husband Alan in Amarillo ....)
James Claude Holton: DE Club, mechanical drawing. (See the recent photo of James Claude sent by Joe Don ... one picture = thousand words ....)
Jo Ann Neel: Tall, long brown hair. (Living in McKinney, Texas ... north of Dallas for anyone who doesn't know ... going to Paris ... France, not Texas ... in March 2008 with Raenell, Linda Kay and Jennifer ....)
Okay, thhhhhat's all for now, folks!!!!! Looking for comments ....
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4 comments:
Jennifer,
You have given us so much to think about in your post and it has taken me a while to process through it all. My first response is to laugh at the two things from 1963 that were chosen as what I would be remembered for--being the queen of Mardi Gras and "cute." Neither of these descriptors would be enough to make me very memorable. I, myself, did not remember being the queen and being cute is not in itself a reason for making a lasting impression on anyone. Perhaps that is one of the reasons we have had little respone to our blog! Our former classmates are still sitting there going "Who IS this person??" LOL
I admit that as I have looked through the 1963 annual, I have seen faces that don't bring instant recognition to me either. I believe this to be a shame! Experience has taught me that some of the most amazing people that I have encoutered over the years are those I might have overlooked as a teen. The shallowness of that age and time has been replaced with a new appreciation for former classmates who at that point in life would not have been chosen to be my friends which was my loss. We were all indeed "uncut diamonds"or diamonds in the rough with our true value yet to be discovered. I choose to believe that my value increases every day as the wife of Jim, the mother of Cat's Meow and Daughter No. 1, and most of all the grandma of Grandsons 1 and 2.
On a lighter note:
To Jackie Petty, you remain a treasure in my memory. After all, you were the first and probably only person who ever called me "Sexy". LOL
To Jimmy Czewski, I loved your sense of humor--In my annual you called me "monkey" and signed it "Atlas Czewski".
To John Eeds, in the annual you reminded me of those wonderful Spanish classes and indeed I still do remember them and you. Who could forget Mrs.Lee??
To Betty Smith, you teased us with your brief and much appreciated comment earlier. Please share more!
To Clara, thank you for remaining a dear friend! You have so much to share with everyone and you are a great story teller. We would love to hear more from you!
For now,
Nicki
OK>>I have perused this blog, cleared my throat and am now ready to speak! i think.
My first thought is to congratulate Jim Wilcoxson for his coaching endeavors. Way to go!! I get goosebumps just thinking about it. You know, Jimmy, that we have known each other since the beginning of time...or at least since 1st grade! I have the pictures to prove it! You were always kind and solid as the earth. You have no idea how much I appreciated you. Do you remember the golf team when we were in the summer of our freshman year? I would never have made it to the 9th hole had it not been for your encouragement, insight, and always looking over your shoulder to make sure I didn't hit you in the head with the ball!
Clara Meek is also in those pictures. She is another one who has worked wonders coaching young people..and old ones like me.
She has been a Godsend. And to think that we lived next door to each other when we were babies!
Now to you, Nicki, you were cute then and it looks as though you as still cute! How can that happen??? Totally not fair!
Just so you will all know, I lost all of my yearbooks in a fire that destroyed my home back in the 80's, so my reference points are moot, except for my foggy mind and occasionally I will ask Jennifer to reference something for me.lol...What a life it has been.
Glad you guys are here.
Oh yeah, I forgot the list of people down here. I may have been President of the Band, but that was only a title! I promise to NOT get political here. My joys in HS were just being in the band and being a part of all of that wonderful music. Yes, I was a twirler for my senior year, but I was first chair drummer for 4 years. With that came my endeavors at All Regional Band Competitions, Area Band and State Competitions. If only I knew then what I know now! LOL....
I think I saw Jimmy "Atlas" Czewski's name somewhere on this list. Where ever he is, I will always love him, but he was not my son's teacher...just to let him off the hook on that one.
My son, Robin, was a student at Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Ft Worth. Jimmy was on some sort of Board...sorry Jimmy, I just can't remember. Robin met him, but was never his student.
Robin has graduated, is in his last year of Med-Peds residency in Phoenix, AZ and does something with the Mayo clinic. Other than that, I am clueless. I am just a mom...the rest of it is over my head...lol.
I would love to hear from Jimmy, Barry Wakefield, Jackie Petty,
John Eeds, who will always have a special place in my heart, Johnny Wright, Reed Lockhoof, Betty Smith, Bettye Shahan, Ronnie Kindle, Ronnie Lawrence...and others.
My mind is set in the 50's when we were all about in the 3rd grade. I gotta get past that point. More about this later.
Way to go, Sheila! I loved both your comments, and thanks for setting me straight about "Atlas" and Robin. I obviously had the information a bit scrambled in my mind ... and they say the mind is the first to go. The problem with me at least is to try and figure out exactly when that happened!!!
Keep up the comments. It's so nice to have such a dear friend here with us ... and "diamonds" are a girl's best friend(s)!!!!!
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