Beginning on Friday evening, October 6, the Coleman K-8 Cafeteria was the scene of preparations for the main event.  As classmates arrived in the city they stopped to visit and help put together the scene for the CORRAL to open for the best ROUND-UP ever!
 

REGISTRATION and SILENT AUCTION PROMOTION

Beginning at 9:00 AM on Saturday morning, Registration began at the cafeteria, headed by Barbara Moore Winter, assisted by Peggy Parker Spruiell. 

Ann Jones Cleghorn assisted by Sharon Cope Greenlee and Rebecca Greaves Benson assembled a fantastic silent auction with all kinds of special, wonderful items being offered to the highest bidders. Proceeds helped to finance the event and fund our special Class Gift.  A total of 64 photographs, paintings, memorabilia, crafts, special books and articles, gift baskets and professional services were donated by class members.  Of very special interest were sets of 1960's music on CD's and tapes produced by Stanley Tubbs.  Bid sheets began to fill immediately and excitement built all day until the auction closed at 5:00 PM.
 

LUNCHEON

By 11:00 AM when the group moved on to Caroline's Cold Water Cattle Company, more than 75 members of the class and their spouses and guests had registered!

Donald and Caroline Jackson generously provided our wonderful meal of KC sirloin with all the trimmings as a special gift to the class.  The inclimate weather heightened the fun and fellowship of the meal as the gracious Cold Water staff served a packed house.  What a treat!  Harry Moore, President of the Class of 1960 welcomed the group followed by the blessing offered by Olen Leroy Perkins.

Moving on to the Coleman High School, that we all remembered, the group assembled for a nostalgic photograph on the steps that we had climbed many times in our years as students there. Ralph Terry of Terry Studio was on hand to officially record the event on film (see photograph.)
 

BUSINESS SESSION

Beginning at 2:00 in the cafeteria, our Main Event carried on into the late evening with the last stragglers out the door after midnight!  With Jerry Smith working hard as our Master of Ceremonies and Ryall Wilson providing special music from our high school years, Harry Moore began the afternoon session by welcoming everyone and thanking the steering committee for the event.  Anna Beaver Kennedy led the group in the singing of the "Alma Mater."   Anna and Judia Terry then led a rousing rendition of the "Bluecat Fight Song."  Sharon Cope Greenlee introduced faculty both at the luncheon and at the afternoon session. 

Because Stanley Tubbs was unable to attend, Mary Alice Terry Larson presented his financial report and recommendations. The group voted to convene our next reunion in 5 years.

After considerable discussion and comment, it was decided that rather than funding a scholarship, the class would give a donation for books and student material needed by the Coleman High School Library.  The prevailing feeling was that we could help many students rather than one or two with our gift. Terry Scott and Sharon Rodgers Goble (Secretary of the Class of 1960) agreed to present and administer this gift.  Donations from classmates as well as proceeds from the auction will make up this gift.

An additional project which has raised interest is participation in the David Hagler Memorial Golf Tournament next spring.  This activity raises funds for an ongoing scholarship in David's name, and it would certainly be a tribute to the class if we are able to support it.  Stanley Tubbs will organize this project as the details are released.

Nominations were accepted for chairman for the next reunion, and the decision was reached to have a chair group consisting of Ann Jones Cleghorn, Barbara Moore Winter, and Judy Kemp Ferris.  Stanley Tubbs has agreed to serve as our financial advisor. Mary Alice Terry Larson suggested then agreed to publish a newsletter on a quarterly or twice yearly basis to the entire group. 
 

MEMORIAL SERVICE

A very special highlight of the reunion was the Memorial Service in recognition of our deceased classmates.  Ann Jones Cleghorn, Ward Lane and Beth Gardner Sparkman presented a lovely ceremony of remembrance, meditation, and prayer for Duane Brown, Jimmy Crews, Melba Lanelle Davenport Davis, Charles David Hagler, Bruce Halmon, Edward Needham II, Pat Elmo Tate, and James Cline Taylor.  Ann performed two wonderful vocals, "It Is Well with My Soul," and "My Heart Will Go On."  The Class Gift will be given in remembrance of these dear friends.
 

PRESENTATIONS & INTRODUCTIONS

Judy Kemp Ferris, Weatherford, Texas, presented Memory Books that contained biographical information from each class member.  Copies were mailed by Judy to those who were unable to attend.

Everyone in the class had an opportunity to introduce themselves and their guests and speak about their lives, work and families.   We found that we have teachers, doctors, homemakers, nurses, cattlemen and women, scientists, engineers, a U.S.postmaster, a bridge builder,  editors, landscapers, rodeo announcers, communications experts, military folks, artists, financial experts, restaurateurs, librarians, bookkeepers, entrepreneurs, writers, musicians, a private investigator, corporate officers, a trans-channeler and psychic, historians, insurance specialists, human relations specialists, a Bible scholar, counselors, bakers, radio and television personalities, accountants, sales people, oil people, truckers, marketing people - in fact we have almost every category of occupation covered except the law!  No legal eagles surfaced....

Special Fun Awards went to Terry Scott for “Most Distance traveled to Reunion;” Frances Rudolph Galey and Beth Gardner Sparkman tied for “Most Children” with four each; Freddie Turner Holybee had “Most Grandchildren,” and Ward Lane claimed special distinction with six godchildren.  Foster Anderson had the “Most Gray Hair” while Ryall Wilson had the “Least Hair.  Molly Maloney Rowland received the award for “Most Changed” and Donald Larson was voted “Least Changed.”   The “Person Who Made Us Laugh Most” was Jerry Smith,  and Erle Tomlinson (our CIA employee) was the “Person Who Surprised Us Most”.  Jane Elliott Ehrler had lived in Coleman longer than anyone else in our class and Molly Maloney Rowland had lived in the most other towns since leaving Coleman with 27.  Oslene (Swafford ’65) Smith received a special special award for "Best Listener."  Our Favorite Teacher was Mrs. Joe (Maureen) Burroughs, now deceased, who tried to teach us English our junior year.

At 5:00 PM results of bidding in the Silent Auction were announced.  A special event within the auction was a raffle for a color television/VCR that was won by Michael Tinney.  Ticket sales for the raffle totaled more than $460, with the auction itself realizing sufficient amounts to pay for the reunion events and to augment the Class Gift. 

At 6:00 PM a light buffet planned and put together by Barbara Moore Winter, Beth Gardner Sparkman, Judy Kemp Ferris and Jane Elliott Ehrler was served to the group. Class members provided an assortment of cakes and desserts.
 

SUNDAY MORNING BREAKFAST

On Sunday morning, breakfast at the Feedlot Restaurant wound up our event with approximately 45 people in attendance.  No one was quite ready to say good-bye and depart, except for the idea of beginning plans for the next one!
 

ATTENDING:

Attendance was truly amazing!  86 persons attended including 51 classmates, 28 spouses and guests of classmates and 7 faculty and faculty spouses. 

Attending from out of state were:  Pat (Blake) & Leroy Melrose, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Wayne Cobb, Albuquerque, New Mexico; Molly Maloney Rowland, Lander, Wyoming; Harry & Barbara Moore, Elbert, Colorado; Coralea Rhoads Kiefer, Anadarka, Oklahoma; Sharon (Rodgers) & Fred Goble, Mission Viejo, California; Terry & Carol (Wilson - CHS Class of ‘65) Scott, Waltham, Massachusetts; Clayton Whitehead, Louisville, Kentucky; Ryall & Diane Wilson, San Diego, California.

From Coleman were:  Anna (Beaver) & Melton (’61) Kennedy, Carlie Bludworth Justice, Dorothy (Crane) Watson, Sammy & Gay (Mendoza, ’62) Dela Rosa, Jane (Elliott) & Ted (’62) Ehrler, Charles Graves, Jerry D. Harris, Don & Caroline Jackson, Jerry Bob McAlister, and Charles Robert Taylor, Jr. 

Attending from within Texas:  Foster Anderson, Stephenville; Sam Bolton, Brownwood; Carylon (Byerly) & Bill Howell, Dripping Springs; Sharon (Cope) Greenlee, Rockwood; Mary Ann (Crowder) & Travis Herring, Lometa; Jerry & Betty (Waters) Forbess, Fort Worth; Beth (Gardner) & Kenneth (’59) Sparkman, New Braunfels; Rebecca (Greaves) Benson, Abilene; Don & Sandra Harkey, Abilene; Ann (Jones) & Barny Cleghorn, Roanoke; Judy (Kemp) & Roy Ferris, Weatherford; Ward Lane, Dallas; Don & Mary Alice (Terry) Larson, Lewisville; Erle & Lurlene (Morse, ‘64) Mayo, Denton; Timothy McClellan, Baird; Gordon & Debby McCullough, San Marcos; Morris & Kathie McDonald, Llano; Martha (Miller) & Dennis Hoffman, Weatherford; Douglas Mitchell, McCamey; Barbara (Moore) & Weston Winter, Arlington; Melinda (Moses) & Charles Nolen, San Angelo; Linda (Newton) Coers, Lubbock; Peggy (Parker) Spruiell, Dallas; Olen Leroy & Sandra Perkins, Lubbock; Frances Lee (Rudolph) & John Galey, Garland; Reesie (Simpson) & Jesse Petree, Midland; Jerry & Oslene (Swafford, ‘65) Smith, McGregor; Michael & Carol Tinney, Waco; Earl & Earlene Tomlinson, Irving; Freddie (Turner) & Jim Holybee, Fort Worth.

Former faculty attending the luncheon or the afternoon session were:  Coach Billy Bartley, Herschell Dunn, Stanley Blackwell, Coach & Mrs. Duane Turner, Coach & Mrs. Jack Baucom.

The group received letters and notes from many who were unable to attend: Coach Charles Jetton wrote us that he will continue to feel better and be ready for our 50th Reunion!  Rogene Dye Holtz, Mary Nan Howard Johnson, Brenda Butler Campbell, Mary Cardenas McWilliams, Carol Griffith Gaston, Nancy Kennedy McDuffie, Charles and Bobby Thwing Mayo,  Martha Pitts Drake, Jimmy Summers, and Kelly Wardlow were among those who sent notes and letters or planned to come but were prevented by unforeseen circumstances.
 

SPECIAL THANKS!

This wonderful occasion was a tremendous success because of the work of many people, but special thanks are in order for a number of folks:

Our special thoughts and gratitude went to Stanley Tubbs who had worked with us every step of the way and located many class members - a death in his family prevented his attendance and his presence was greatly missed by the group.

Jane Elliott Ehrler who lives in Coleman and who has chaired past reunions was our main contact in the area.  She searched for and negotiated our location for the event, procured our anniversary mugs, and worked hard on local arrangements.

Judy Kemp Ferris, Weatherford, Texas, conceived the idea of a Memory Book containing biographical sketches from each class member, and then completed the impossible task of asking and asking again (for months) until each person had submitted information. These went into a book for each classmate, with copies mailed by Judy to those who were unable to attend.

Don Larson scanned photographs of 90 smiling young faces to grace the covers of books, nametags, and placemats for the luncheon. 

Mary Alice Larson created designs for all the communications, programs, Memory Book covers, placemats, nametags, mugs and banner.

Pat Blake Melrose produced our wonderful banner that hung above the meeting area welcoming all with our Cowboy and Bluecat design motifs.  Although Pat and her husband Leroy own a company in Oklahoma City which designs and manufactures signs all over the USA, Pat did our 10 foot long special production banner herself, and we expect to have it for all our future reunions!

Thanks also go to Billie (Beaver) Wardlow (wife of Kelly) who worked with us to have our placemats laminated. 

Ann Jones Cleghorn, Roanoke, Texas, gave us a truly outstanding Silent Auction event, along with the hard work of receiving the payment and accounting for each item at auction.  Ann was also a very special part of the Memorial Service sharing with us her lovely voice and special talent.

Sharon Cope Greenlee, Rockwood, Texas and Nancy Kennedy McDuffie, Lexington, Kentucky took on the responsibility of Faculty Care, contacting our former faculty members with special invitations and letters to invite/assist them to attend.

Timothy McClellan, Baird, Texas, organized and laid out our meeting location, planned and provided decor for tables and the cafeteria, utilizing "Bluecat Blue" and white linen table cloths and white football mum arrangements with the same blue ribbon and trim.

Jerry Smith, McGregor, Texas, our truly special Master of Ceremonies for the main event, provided a fantastic sound system and engineered our presentations and music throughout the day and evening.  He kept things moving and provided his own special wit, tall tales, and humor absolutely free of charge!

Ryall Wilson, San Diego, CA, produced and provided music from our four years at Coleman High School - more than 100 selections of Rock and Roll, with every third selection being slow enough for even the slowest of us to enjoy dancing.

Ralph Terry (CHS Class of ‘65) who maintains his website containing a very complete Coleman High School database generously gave us our own pages and has continually updated information for us throughout the entire year – not a small expenditure of time in editing, typing and general aggravation!

Beth Gardner Sparkman had T-shirts made for the steering committee to wear Friday night while working very hard!  These show "our" Bluecat and the reunion theme.  Thanks, Beth!

Underlying all of our communications and providing us with a theme design from the beginning were cowboy cartoon drawings done by Frances Lee Rudolph (now Galey)  in 1960 for the Coleman High School Corral yearbook.  Frances Lee graciously allowed us to adopt the cowboys as our official reunion logos. 

A second mascot for this event came from the "Big Blue" paintings originally drawn and painted on the gym floor and in the field house by Mary Alice Terry in 1960.  She updated the design especially for this reunion. It was also used extensively in our decoration and presentations.  The new original 
of this updated  "Big Blue" was purchased by the class at the silent auction and presented to Don and Caroline Jackson at the Cold Water Cattle Company in recognition of their generous contribution to the event. "Our" Bluecat served many winning Bluecat sports teams well for many Championship Seasons and we are happy to have him back!

A really special group of spouses worked as hard (at times) as the committee and supported us without fail:  Barny Cleghorn, Ted Ehrler, Roy Ferris, Leroy Melrose, Oslene (Swafford) Smith (CHS Class of ’65) and Weston Winter - all pitched in to move tables and furniture, hang our banner, load and unload, fold and staple and paste, serve food and drinks, and in the end to put it all back!  Weston Winter receives special thanks for all his wonderful digital photographs which appear on our web pages as well as in the newspaper.

This amazing event became more than a homecoming - it was a reuniting and rekindling of our class spirit and enthusiasm far beyond our dreams. Every graduating class is told that it is a special one - the Class of 1960 continues to prove that it really is!  Thank you, our Alma Mater, ~ Coleman High School!