The
Internet can be a very helpful tool!
Over the last year or so a significant number of DeVeaux School’s Class
of 1961 have ‘found’ each other. These renewed
contacts led to discussions of a reunion…54 plus years after graduating!
The top
photo shows the main classroom buildings which also included the chapel, dining
area, kitchen and library. The first
part of this structure was completed in 1857 with the last part being completed
in 1894. The second photo shows the
dormitory where many of us boarders lived… The 51 acre property, with most of
the buildings gone, is now owned by the New York State Office of Parks
Recreation and Historic Preservation and it has been renamed as “DeVeaux Woods
State Park”.
A
little history… The property near Niagara River’s whirlpool was originally deeded
in the mid-1850s as “The DeVeaux College for Orphans and Destitute Children” by
Judge Samuel DeVeaux and operated by the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York.
DeVeaux’s
vision was to create a preeminent institution of learning which would train
young men in academics, trade professions and to give them an education that
did not neglect religious training. For
nearly 80 years course work included mandatory military training with cadets
dressed in uniforms in the tradition of the U.S. Military Academy at West
Point, New York. Happily (for me at
least), the last day of military influence on campus came on Founder’s Day
in 1950 when the uniforms were replaced by coats and ties. I joined DeVeaux in the fall of 1957 as a
freshman.
This is
the Junior Class photo for DeVeaux School’s Class of 1961. Only individual photos were taken in our
senior year so this is the only group photo showing all of the 1961 grads who
attended our reunion. There were 31 of
us in the Junior Class photo but our Senior Class totaled 27 graduates.
Can you
spot these 9 members of DeVeaux School’s Class of 1961 in their Junior Class
photo above? ‘Only’ 55+ years have flown
by since the group photo was taken… Some of us are recognizable but for others
(like me) too much time has passed. I
don’t even recognize me!
From
the left: Jere Krieg, Ed Fairchild, Tim Southwick, Bill Dunn, Jon Woolverton,
Don Alderman, Dave (Thomson) Myers, Gary Scott and Tom Reid…
Nine
out of 27 represents a pretty significant level of attendance given those who
have passed on, those with family/health issues and grads that we couldn’t
locate. In addition to the 2 members of
the group who live in East Tennessee, attendees came to this gathering from
Arizona, California Delaware, Kentucky, Michigan, Texas and Ontario Canada.
A key
factor in the success of those of us attending this soiree are the women that
put up with us and keep us on the straight and narrow path! The ladies mingled and got along extremely
well… The only thing that they had in common was the fact that their miscreant
husbands had gone to the same school together. (Of course, they also have had
to train us…and with some of us, that project is ongoing!)
Bottom
row: Cheryl and Bill; Sue and Jon; Don and Rhonda; Linda and Ed. Second row: Laurie and me; Julie and Jere;
Nancy and Tim; Belinda and Gary; Margie and Tom. Julie, Jere, Laurie and I sponsored the
opening night’s event.
Our
opening night event on a Thursday night in mid-October was a reception and
buffet at Julie and Jere’s home. The
guys spent a lot of time catching up and telling ‘war stories’ from our
shenanigans back at DeVeaux and the ladies just got acquainted with each other…
The first
night’s main event other than eating some good food, drinking and telling stories was when
each of the classmates took the stage and told their personal stories…post
DeVeaux until the present. This was Tom
telling us about his life over the previous 54 years.
One of
the highlights the next day was a pontoon boat ride on Tellico Lake. Jere recruited a couple of his long time
buddies from the area to make this event happen…on a beautiful sunshine filled
fall day! This boat had 9 passengers
including the captain…
Our
pontoon boat had 11 passengers including our captain…and that is part of the reason
that our boat ride was a bit different than the one experienced by our
compatriots in the other boat.
Yikes! With Bill blocking the vision of our captain
on the right side of the boat and me blocking his view on the left…and 11 of us
on board…the captain couldn’t see an oncoming wake and we nosed right down into
it! Nancy and Margie took the brunt of
the wave! Troopers that they are and wet
though they were they took the semi-disaster in good humor. We continued on!
Almost
all 6 passengers in the front got wet to some degree. In addition to Nancy and Margie, Cheryl got
quite wet. All 3 ladies purses took a
‘bath’! I thought that they’d never get
all of the water out! Nothing like a
little excitement for us to remember for future gatherings… (Sorry ladies!)
Much of
our time was spent socializing over drinks and food. We frequented local establishments for lunch
and dinner on Friday and Saturday. This
is the Tanasi Golf Clubhouse and Grill in Loudon Tennessee where we had dinner
on Friday.
At one
point or another, everyone stopped by our home to sit back and relax. Linda, Laurie and Belinda spent some quality
time together getting to know each other…
While
the ladies were downstairs chatting, Ed, Gary, Bill, Cheryl and I were upstairs
in the bonus room watching an American League championship game in support of
Jon and Sue who are from Canada. (It was the Toronto Blue Jays vs. the Kansas
City Royals. Don was the lone Royals fan
in the room and he picked the winner… (Sorry Jon and Sue!)
Note: I was rooting for the Blue Jays in the
American League and the Chicago Cubs in the National League. Never bet on my choices for any championship
event!
On
Saturday, the group drove on over to Oak Ridge Tennessee to visit a American
Automobile Club “Gem” attraction, the American Museum of Science and Energy. This museum was designed to teach both
children and adults about energy, especially nuclear power. The major focus of this facility is to document
the role Oak Ridge played in the Manhattan Project with the development of the
nuclear bomb and the role it played in ending WWII. Everyone learned something new and this visit
was well received by our visitors from out of town.
The
American Museum of Science and Energy is located at 300 South Tulane in Oak
Ridge. Phone: 865-576-3200. The museum’s website can be found at http://amse.org.
Following
our edification and exploration at the museum, we headed over to the Riverside Grill
in Oak Ridge for more food and conversation.
No…we hadn’t run out of things to talk about! As a matter of fact, we probably solved a
world crisis or two…
Our
final event for our reunion was a dinner in the Blue Heron Restaurant at
Tellico Village’s Yacht Club in Loudon Tennessee. Unfortunately dinner was at 7 PM so it was
too dark to enjoy the normally beautiful view of Tellico Lake from the
restaurant.
And so
our 54th Class Reunion came to an end… Everyone had caught up on
their classmates lives and several of us probably gained a couple of pounds
after all the food we consumed. The
group’s consensus was that this had been a great event…a very satisfying renewal
of friendships…and that we should do it again in about 2 years!
Just
click on any of the photos to enlarge them…
Thanks
for stopping by for a visit with DeVeaux School’s Class of 1961!
Take
Care, Big Daddy Dave
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