50 years later

Sometimes I put off writing a Blog because I can't think of what to say, but this time is was just plain laziness!

In Mid May I flew to NC for my annual USA trek.  First stop was 5 days with son Chris and family.  I am so very happy that his assignment is Ft Bragg, after returning from his 3rd Mideast tour.  For the last 20 years that I have been overseas, they have been too far away to visit except every couple of years.  Oma Curry is now one happy camper, as the saying goes.

Next sister Susie and I had 5 days in SC - spending most of the time with cousin Marynell.  It is always so much fun to spend time with family.  We laughed, reminisced and talked computer things non stop.  We spent one day with an old Columbia friend of mine now living in Charleston.  Ellen and hubby Pat are retired and loving the coastal life.  El, Marynell, Susie and I toured Hopsewee Plantation on the Charles River, mainly because I had found a picture of a china cabinet on their website that looked to be a twin of Granny Perrys.Actually Granny's is prettier,but probably made by same SC low country cabinet maker.
The tour was fun and followed by a High Tea.  The only bad thing was of course the voracious SC mosquitoes!

Then,  Susie and I headed north to Lancaster SC, homeland of the Perry family (mothers side of the family) for over 250 years.  As most of you know, I am an amateur genealogist (with background help from sister Rebecca who is the real pro).  I have been chasing down the 18thC family of William and Jane Cunningham Curry for 6 years now.  Any need to explain why!!!The Perry Trek to Liberty Hill, SC in 2004, put the bug in my ear, as I had just retired and had the time.  I went to the Court House in Lancaster, looking for land records information that I am unable to glean from the Internet.  That darn Ancestry.com group has gobbled up most of the free stuff so that you now have to pay them a monthly fee to get to even the Census records.... Schade! On the drive back to Greensboro, Susie and I stopped at Historic Brattonsville, near Chester SC.  Fantastic site and the tour guides are very well informed.  The house scenes for The Patriot were filmed here.

By late Saturday afternoon of Memorial Day weekend, I was back in Greensboro, with my buddy Peggy M, a longtime friend .  Susie and I put a new grave topper on the family headstone at Forest Lawn, and added small Amercian flags to Daddy's footstone.

The visit is an annual one that Susie and I enjoy.  We go over to "visit" with Curry and JP as well who are planted just a few feet away.  Anna and Sid share a headstone with Mother ad Dad, so we always see them as well.

The next week was reunion week! While at home in Germany,  I had prepared the name badges with pictures from the 1960 annual.  The Reunion Committee was super and organized everything so well. With 3 other classmates, Berry T., Judy A. and Betty W. I spent an afternoon  putting together the packets.  Everyone on the committee had  a specific job and all went smooth as silk. Lynn F. and Taylor really did a fantastic job of co chairing and keeping us all on course.

Friday night was the opener with a party at the Grasshopper Stadium.  What a blast..... Taylor sang the National Anthem, and then we tucked into hamburgers and hot dogs with all the trimmings accompanied by non stop talking.    I knew then that the Reunion was going to be a smashing success!

l-r: Barbara B, Anne F, Tommie W., Julie P, and Lilla C.

On Saturday, I said my goodbyes to my good buddy, Peggy M., and headed out to the Ladies Lunch with about 50 other "girls".  Jeanne T did a great job of organzing that event:  We talked and shared lives for 2 hours and then some of us dashed off to make a tour of GHS.  I was so happy this event happened.
We found the school for the most part, exactly as we left it in 1960.

Can you believe this:  same lettering and doors!  As we walked into the main hall from the parking lot side, through the double wooden doors (same ones!) the first thing I noticed was the GIRLS bathroom on the right and said, "OMG  it's the same!"



The big change was the Grove where all the guys used to smoke (in the late '50s, no girls smoked openly!) Gone is the grassless dirt area with the tree roots bare to trip over and the big drum barrels for the butts which somehow never made it!  Who knows where they smoke now.... forgot to ask our student tour guide (young man in the navy t-shirt)



I

"The Grove" 2010

After the tour, we returned to the Downtown Marriott in time to stop into the Hospitality Room to see who had arrived since our last stop there in the early afternoon.  The room was crowded with groups all over the big room. The evening affair, was very well attended.  Don't know the final headcount, but surely over 200!  The Catalinas played beach music, the food was super but the best was just catching up.  Most conversations took place in the foyer as the big room was too loud, but all in all it was a grand event.. 

Celia H and me

Lynn F put together a memories book for each of us and I have enjoyed many hours reading and rereading about 120, most of who attended the festivities. Few facts:  Most of us were married/divorced.  Nearly all were professionals with our share of doctors and lawyers, as you would expect.  A few others had lived overseas somewhere and Vera L.and I still do; we represent less than 0.8% of our class of 400 still living classmates.  Sunday morning was a let down, saying goodbye, but not before sharing breakfast with Frank S.Ann and Skip J.  Another get together is surely in order, even if informal.

After another few days with Chris, I boarded the big bird and winged my way back home - to my Juergen and life in Frankfurt.  The once a year visit is enough to keep at least one toe in America!

If you have waded through this without a cup of coffee, glass of wine or beer, congratulations.  I promise my next entry will be shorter!!  Of course I have never been known to say in a few words what I can say in paragraphs!