MEMORIES OF HIGH SCHOOL, CLOVIS, CLASS OF '51

 BY SHADE GOAR and MIL

THE 2006 REUNION IN ALBUQUERQUE 

*********************************************

MIL: 

*****

The CHS Class of '51, since graduation, has

had ten reunions. The years for these were 1961,

1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2006,

and 2008. 

Through the 1996 reunion, the class met in Clovis, 

in the the shadow of Seventh and Main, almost

holy ground to an old Clovis kid. These reunions 

were skillfully planned by Gsne and Phyllis Walker

and other '51 grads living in Clovis.

A fellow CHS '51 graduate, Jimmy Whatley, planned

a special reunion, and pulled it off, mostly by himself--

way down in the middle of Texas Hill Country at

Kerrville, Texas, in 2003. Jim was always a congenial

and much-loved member of the class.

Partly due to airline convenience and other factors,

Wanda King Snipes took over the planning of the

reunions, with her husband, Art---and the latest two

reunions were held at a fine hotel in Albuquerque.

She was assisted in carrying out these events by 

the Walkers, Sierens, and others.

SHADE GOAR: 

****************

The thing I remember about the '06 reunion is noon 

on Saturday. Most of the classmates

went shopping. Art and Wanda, Jim Whatley and his 

wife, Edith, Sherman and his wife, Marcia Stebbins,

Bob Stebbins, I,  and some others were sitting at the 

big round table in the meeting room, talking.

Something was said about lunch. Wanda suggested

we get the left-overs from the fridge in Gene and 

Phyllis's room. We got the leftovers and for the next

2 1/2 to 3 hours sat around telling stories and laughing,

and eating!

When we broke up, Sherman's wife told me that she 

had been irritated because he didn't want to go 

shopping. but she was glad that he hadn't wanted to go.

MIL: 

*****

Shade--- Donna and I were one of the couples in

that little meeting room, while all our fellow guys from

CHS '51 were out shopping with their wives (and 

having the time-of-their-lives.) That little session was

maybe the most-fun class encounter ever--- for Shade

didn't mention it, but Sherman, who was earlier in his

life  a military jet pilot---and of all things---Art was a former

pilot, (and most of us didn't know that) ...and I'll tell you, the

funny stories flew "thick" back and forth. It was a treasure-

of-an-encounter

Right in the middle, Erlene Hren, CHS '53 came into the 

bull session and Jim Whatley and Edith left with her. We 

ate-up most of the cold cuts left from Friday night.

Marcia Stebbins told Wanda later on that it was the best

reunion she'd ever attended..."mainly because of Shade

and Mil..." That was nice, and I asked Shade: "What did

we do?"

But soon after, along The Trail, several classmates were

to leave us---Jimmy Whatley, Jerry Roberts, Marcia

Stebbins, Wanda Snipes, and Sherman Williams.

SHADE GOAR:

****************

When Art took me and Bob Stebbins to the airport, we

had some time to visit about our lives as kids, and how 

little we knew about each other. I lived out in the

country, rode the bus, and did not socialize back in town.

I didn't know you were just an "old farm boy" like me.

A note about Noel Dougherty---he was one of our first

classmates to start the first grade at a three-teacher

school---first through eighth grades. The school was 

called Claud. It was located 13 miles north and one east

of Clovis---on the northeast corner of a section of land,

which at the time was owned by Claud Gamble. 

The five classmates were Dave Collins, Noel Dougherty,

Sue Taylor, Bob Wilhite, and me--Shade Goar. Dave and

I were the only ones to go through the sixth grade at

Claud.

Noel's family moved to Yeso for a time. Sue's family 

moved into town Clovis for awhile, but I believe she

finished the sixth  grade at Claud. Bob's family moved

down close to town before we finished the sixth grade.

In 1946 my father bought the section of land from Mr.

Gamble, and the school property eventually reverted

to Dad. Wanda King (Snipes) and her brothers also 

attended Claud for two or three years. She told me

she started there in the third grade.

MIL:

*****

On the last (Sunday) day of the '06 reunion, as many 

of us old CHS '51 friends were eating that great free 

breakfast there at the hotel.... early that morning before

departure,  I was eating breakfast with Jim Whatley.

He got up from his chair, and said: "Don't tell Edith,

but the biscuits and gravy are so good, I'm having
some more!"

As we sat there, with Jim at the end of the table, 

and me on his right, Don Todd came up and there

being no chair on Jim's left, Don just kneeled and

we got into a discussion of computers...Jim loved

his computer, and I'll never forget Don listening

to Jim with wide-eyed-respect, kneeling there,

listening. Those guys were very fond of each other.

That was the last time I ever saw Jim, and we had

been in bi-weekly touch by emails. Don flew to

Kerrville for Jim's service. I have a tape.

The '08 reunion was held at the same hotel, (nice

accommodations there) and planned well by Wanda

Snipes. On the last Sunday morning, Don Todd and

I wound up at the same table, this time without Jim

Whatley, and we had a nice talk over breakfast, 

about our histories and experiences, as the meeting 

was ending

As we talked, my photographic memory, flashed up

a photo I took one morning about sixty years earlier

of Don---standing by his Cushman, in front of

Murphy's Grocery...one morning before school...

as if he were going in for a loaf of bread. 

Yes, a lot of water had passed under the bridge

in those sixty long years.

Wanda was planning, in her mind, that we would

have another reunion, but at a dinner at our house

August of '09, she indicated to me that she might

not "be up" to doing another one.

*******30*******

BY SHADE GOAR, CHS '51

and MIL

10-02-14