Phyllis Gail Fast

To all:  the website is awesome.

To Nancy Davis:  the photos are awesome.

To all golfers:  Jay Schwein was awesome at the golf course.  Greg Parish was to roast me at the banquet.  I didn't know what a "dogle" was so Jay said he didn't know what bunke was.

Marsha Lynn Nelson (Carr)

Nancy, I love your pictures ! Does the  tagging feature not work on this website?  I hope that they do put up the Photo Gallery so we can all post to it -- however, it won't help much without names (at least to some of us).  You know, at this age -- I can't remember half the stuff I used to know :).

It was great seeing you this weekend. 

Marsha Lynn Nelson (Carr)

Did anyone collect email addresses from the registration tables?  I would be happy to contact each of them if they are available.  I've got the data base on ACCESS so I can sort by the email address and see if there are duplicates.

I would like to get in touch with Jane Calvin and Lynn Hartley if anyone has their contact info.

Izora Sandra Gilkey (Dixon)

The Reunion was the best of all times.  I don't believe ther is a graduating class that can truly say their Reunion was anywhere close to the fun and excitement that ours was.  I tip my hat to the complete team who worked so untiringly to see that such a wonderful day was executed.  Thank you from the greatest to the least one even to the ones who past a paper clip or licked an envelop, who brought someone a glass of water while they composed a letter or whomever drove the car while the other one ran in to pick up the ice, pizza or sodas.  It was all a team efford and it was a we thing and there was no I in the we or team.  Thanks to the team.  Keep working as a team and that is how to get the job done along with God out in the front to lead you on to victory!!!To God be the Glory.

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Rachel Lynn Hughbanks (Hughey)

Hey everyone!  I have enjoyed the updated profiles and pictures.  Thanks.

I have a good friend who is attending the 1965 Southeast Reunion this weekend.  Friday night is 3 schools together and Saturday evening is at YaYa's and is $30 or so, I think.  She is looking forward to it about like you might look forward to a root canal or the very least a dental appointment...no offense meant to you dentists out there.  I will report back on the results of the events she attends and see how it goes.

Anyway, I must say I tried to keep expectations low for our gatherings but hopes high.  I was blown out of the water by the response, the fun, the great spirit of goodwill and good cheer.  Thanks for making it a real "moment to remember".

I have really enjoyed having the soundtrack to 1965 available in the CD.  Thanks for making it happen Sharon.  I attended the Kapaun-Bishop Carroll football game several weeks ago.  Kapaun did not even have a pep band when my daughter was a student there.  Needless to say despite the great fan support and cheering,  nobody, but nobody can beat War Cry for a High School fight song and those superior high school teams would have been much improved with a good "pep club".

Once a Redskin, always a Redskin!  Ray Rah Red!

Susan Linda Womer (Smith)

Hi everyone!  Thanks to the wonderful reunion committee for the most awesome time at our 45th reunion. My husband and I really enjoyed every moment.  We are returning to Wichita halloween weekend, for our 4th semi annual bead show at the Sedgwick County Extension Center at 21st and Ridge Road.  Come see us Friday 9-6, Saturday 7-5, Sunday 10-4.  Mention that you're a North High class of '65 grad, and receive a free strand of 'bold gold' beads! On ye redskins!

Teresa Le Clerc (Duvall)

Hi Everyone and as all have said Thank you all to everyone involved in the planning and running of the whole reunion. I really enjoyed all of it. I did hear several people say that at our ages they really wished that we could do it more often but I don't know how people feel about that. I would be FOR it and be willing to help all I could but maybe it would be too much work, I don't know. Any Ideas on this?  Do we have an email address list of everyone we know of at this point? My email address has changed to tmlduvall@gmail.com I truly do think that our class has the best reunions, not only at North but at the other school too.

Ted Wright

Hey Everyone,

Of course I think by now it is apparent how hard the planning committee worked to put the last reunion bash together!  One more time.....it was great and thank you!

Now the real question I have is.......what goes on at those planning get togethers?  I mean all I saw in the pictures on the photo gallery was food.....lots and lots of food, and green bottles, and it wasn't Squirt bottles.  These looked like they were made out of glass.....and I would even go so far as to say they looked like, oh I don't know....can we say WINE BOTTLES?  There were enough bottles present that if much work was accomplished during that get together for the next reunion, I would say it will be held in a canoe floating down the Little Arkansas  :)

If you guys ever need any help please don't hesitate to call on me.  Talk to you all soon. 

Oh wait, I almost forgot....."Once A Redskin-Always A Redskin" - "GO 'SKINS"

Ted Wright

Rachel Lynn Hughbanks (Hughey)

A very Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.  This year among all my many blessings, the Class on 1965 is very high on my list.  Thanks for a wonderful time to get together and reflect on the blessings of our school, our friends and our shared history.

Hope everyone has a safe and Happy Holiday!  Blessings to you all!

Rachel Lynn Hughbanks (Hughey)

Dear Redskin Sisters....

Thanks for a nice boost to my holiday spirit!  What a wonderful gathering to remind me of what the Holidays are all about!  I missed my good friend, Peggy, and sure wished she could have been there.  But it was so nice to get together and share some holiday fun!

Merry Christmas and blessings to those of other faiths!  Peace on Earth and Goodwill to All!

Dana 'BRUCE' Simpson

Rachel Lynn Hughbanks (Hughey)

Dear Redskin Sisters.....

"Oh what a night....late September back in '63.....what a very special time for me.....oh what a night!"

Would some one please tell me what Sharon Q was drinking!  She was in very rare form...even for Sharon.

As always girls, it is an honor to be a part of the Redskin Sisterhood of 1965!  Thanks for the fellowship...womanship? and thanks for the memories....old and new....that we have made together! 

Love you girls....you guys too!

Rachel

Those who were at our gathering will relate to the above song.  Those who ? what is that all about, will just have to join us for more fun in the life of the Redskin Sisterhood!  To be continued!!.

Mary Jane 'JANI' Anderson (Stoffle)

 Particularly enjoyed Sharon Powell Quency's tribute to Fathers. posted 6/17/11. Totally goose bumpy for me. Caused me to reflect lovingly on my own wonderful dad. I am sure many of you had the same feeling about your own fathers if you read Sharon note.  I also appreciate my husband, who has been a wonderful "Dad" to my boys and his own five daughters. A big wish all my fellow classmate who became remarkable father to their own children.... for a very Happy Fathers Day.    

Cynthia L Keith (Owens)

I hope all will read the obituaries of our classmates. Some are detailed life stories-others very short and leave many questions as to what happened in their lives.  As we see more classmates added to our "In Memory" section, it's a reminder to me that our lives here are so very short and the friends we have made and are making are so very important. I had a very small group of  friends in high school. I knew names and faces-but not much else about most classmates. I regret that-BUT, the reunions, mini-reunion and all the wonderful, fun filled women's get togethers have been a "Blast from the Past" and a fantastic opportunity to renew old friendships and make new friends! If you find a mistake or a question in any of the obituaries, please let us know.  If you know anything about other classmates in the "In Memory" section that we have no information on-or if you know of anyone on our "Missing Classmates" list, please let us know! All the little tidbits of information really help-especially after 45+ years! Many people have been involved in looking for and finding missing and deceased classmates.  It's truly an ongoing class project!!

Ted Wright

Wow, it has been about a year since I have been on the website.  I congratulate the people who are taking care of it.  I did have the chance to see Wichita North play Wichita Heights and watch North knock Heights out of their 5 year win streak at home.  That was fun!  I heard during the broadcast that North was going to put in a new gymnasium.  The makes me a little sad as I always thought we had the most unique gym of any high school I have been in.  Old?  Yes, but it was still beautiful to sit in those historic bleachers and look down on that court.  I hope the new one is designed similar to our old one.  It truly is one of a kind. 

Rachel Lynn Hughbanks (Hughey)

Hello  Redskins of '65....

I was reflecting this Memorial Day about the late 60's and high school and college graduates (mostly male at that time) who had Vietnam to look forward to, when their 'draft number" came up.  I know more than one fellow student at WSU whose major was 'staying out of SE Asia'.  Thanks to all of you who served in that crazy war and came home, some of you safe and sound, but most profoundly changed in some way.  I must say the thought of 'military service' made me happy to be female in the 60's. 

I visited Normandy Beach several years ago and it brought home to me the 'sacrifice of our armed services'.  WWII was just a section of US and World History until I kept visiting places where the bombs fell and the Arizona went down in Pearl Harbor, or a concentration camp (Dachau) where the holocaust was playing out in a neighborhood not that different from a german version of 'Riverside'. 

Our sister city, Orlean, France, is our sister city because the Infantry from Kansas and Ft. Riley liberated the town in May of 1945.  It makes me proud of our troups and proud to be American, although I still hate war and what brings us to need war.   I hope we can 'tie a yellow ribbon 'round our remaining oak trees' and bring our soldiers home from places like Afghanistan.   I salute our Armed Services, the men and women who are doing what needs to be done to help protect our freedoms here and abroad. 

This Memorial Day I also remember all the members of my family...far more gone than left on earth at this point.  I  hope and pray 'most' have gone to a better place.  But I am so appreciative of the 'middle class values' and 'middle class' life I was given.  I am thankful I always felt 'safe' at school, I trusted our teachers and faculty, I could walk safely all over the neighborhood.  Some of that may have been 'naive' but I could safely be a kid.  I am sure we had bullys, but I was never a victim of them. 

As the class of '65 turns 65, I am thankful for the renewed friendship of classmates and the connection between us all.  I miss those who are no longer with us, and am sad that list continues to grow.  But I am so profoundly happy to have been a "Redskin" and shared a 'history/herstory' with you all.

We had a girls get together and "Queen Sharon PQ" gave us a homework assignment of writing an essay.  I did not intend for mine to be on 'what memorial day means to me';  the topic was "prom memories and prom dresses" .  Sorry to get carried away.  Peace, Love and Brother/Sisterhood to you all.

Ted Wright

I recently had the opportunity to write an article for a website called War Stories.  Here is a copy of my article if you are interested.

http://www.war-stories.com/aspprotect/nt-ted-wright-IFFV-under-fire-first-time-1969.asp

 

Because of my experience in Vietnam, I am, well, a patriot! That experience changed me forever.  Some for the good, and some for the bad.  I love this country with all of it's warts.  I lost a number of good friends in Vietnam.  One in particular, on the very first day he was in the field.  Another was a father of 3 kids and a wife at home, with a few weeks left before his tour was up.  And now, I have a son-in-law who is a Lt. Colonel in the USMC, who has served 7 deployments!  Talk about a patriot!

 

All of us were 19-21 year old kids. We went, we fought, all on behalf of a country we believed in and loved.  Yes, as we were there, we grew up in a hurry, and we realized this war was a worthless cause. I remember looking across the South China Sea, and thinking, dang, that is a long swim home.  We fought, proudly, none the less.  We were Americans, doing what Americans have always done when their country called on them to do their duty.

I went.  I lost friends.  I was shot at.  I was fortunate. I made it home.  And a couple of times a year, I get to celebrate my patriotism and my call of duty.  And when I do, I do it proudly.  To have served my country was a privilege that, unfortuantely, will not be experienced by many, because many were more or less selfish, and were pretty much thinking about themselves at the time.  I think they were the loser in this deal.  I wouldn't trade my experiences, yes, some sad, for nothing!  I, along with countless others, can stand up when the national anthym is played, and give a military hand salute, which is sanctioned by Congress for those who have served, and many don't have the right to do that!  Next to my wife and family, my military service is the thing I am most proud of that I have accomplished in my life time.

 

And to all of those who have served, I say thank you, and to all of those who served in especially in Vietnam, I say finally, WELCOME HOME, AND JOB WELL DONE!    

 

P.S. - For the record, for those who say we didn't win the war, I say to them, you don't know what you are talking about, we didn't lose the war, we just never got to finish it.

Ted Wright

I just read Fred Shanks post about him and Rosalie McConachie agreeing to call each other on the 50th anniverary of Kennedy's assassination. I am sorry that could not happen.  That would have been a great conversation.

My mind quickly flashed back to that sad day.  I was a junior, and had gone to my locker in between classes.  I remember one of my friends walking up to me and saying, "Did you hear about Kennedy"?  We did a lot of joking and kidding around and I just figured this was a joke and I awaited the punch line.  So I said, "No, what"?  Then he said he had been shot and killed!  Well, like many things, Pearl Harbor, 9/11, that day will live in infamy. My guess is everyone remembers where they were that day.  Of course the following days we were all glued to our black and white TV watching intently. Johnson being sworn in while Mrs. Kennedy stood with her blood soaked suit.  And then we witnessed Oswald being shot on live TV. Mrs. Kennedy, walking up and kissing the casket, John John as he was called then, saluting the passing horse drawn casket. The funeral procession. The somberness of the nation was absolutely overwhelming.  The sensitivity of the nation was overwhelming. And of course those of us who were alive when all of this took place remember it well.

Now, fast forward to the present. FIFTY YEARS!!  Where has the time gone? Those events seem like they happened yesterday to me.  We were also entergetic, and we were going to change the world, right?  And to some degree we did!  But for the better?  I wonder.  We have gone through many things as a nation since then. Most of us have raised families, gone through wars, scandals, an intense change in technology, but my question is, ARE WE BETTER FOR IT?  Were we better then, with our naivety, a higher sense of sensitivity, and a high regard for our fellow man.  It didn't make any difference back then whether you were a Republican or Democrat, we all mourned.  Would we do that today? Do we have a higher regard for our fellow man?  Is our government willing to compromise to get things accomplished? Has our society become desynthesized to the pain of others?

I am sure eveyone has an answer to those questions and certainly sees things differently.  That is, of course, what makes us all so unique.  We see things differently.  But for me, 50 years later, I am not so sure that I didn't like things better back in the day, when we were all high schoolers, and when we graduated, when we were going to save the world!  

Ted Wright

It seems this year I have taken more notice of our classmates passing. I am fortunate enough to be in good health, as far as I know, and still active and working full time.

As these notices are posted by Sharon, I take a little more time to reflect.  I reflect on those "memories" we all had stemming back to our days at North High.  Of course when you are in high school, you can't wait to get out and move on.  Little did we know at the time our high school days were probably some of the best years of our lives. (there might be a movie in there somewhere, ha). As I reflect I can remember the first time I went through those huge doors at North and everything seemed so big.  And when I walked out of those not so big doors, I left a myriad of experiences that would later turn into memories, some mostly good ones, and a few disappointing ones. None the less, they are very nostalgic and I wouldn't change a thing.  North was a life changing experience and we didn't even know it at the time.

I am so thankful I had all of you guys and gals as my classmates to help make those early memories.  And I am pretty sure the class of 1965 was the greatest and best that North High ever produced. And I don't care what this country says or does, I will forever always be a 'REDSKIN", and take great pride in knowing what that name really means. And I am native American.  And as I hear the passing of one of our own it makes me very sad. You all have been such an intregal part of my growing experience and life, and for that, "thank you". Hope to see you next year at the 50TH REUNION. Wow!  Really??

Ted

Phyllis Gail Fast

What Ted has to say sums it all up.  The 2015 reunion was outstanding again, thanks to committee and all participants.  Each reunion year is better.

Linda Lee McDONALD (Ivy)

Thanks much committee for putting together a wonderful celebration. Wish I'd been able to attend everything. Ce' la vie. Great to see everyone. Next time make the names on the badges BIG so I don't have to nearly fall over to read them.

Tim Greenshields

The 2015 reunion was so good !  Fullfiling, easy going, and I am so grateful for this wonderful class of generous and outstandig classmates.  What a blessing to everyone,

Tim

Barbara Anne Chase (Forrer)

The 2015 reunion was great!  We are blessed to have a dedicated and creative runion committee to bring us all together once again!

Stephen H. Holmes

I am broken hearted to learn of Buster's death. He and I shared many fond memories and became good friends in HS and after There is a place in Heaven for  him very sad

Gary S. Shreve

All north fads need to call sherif Logan, 7226708 and tell her no on name change!!!