Snail Mail Here We Come

We're not giving up on the blog...just making a slight adjustment. As those who read the blog from time to time have probably noted, the response has not been exactly overwhelming. That's okay. We're gonna keep trying. But time is passing quickly, and I want to ensure that as many classmates as possible know about our plans to have a 50th reunion at the Elk City Holidome on Saturday, May 23, 2009...the same date as the Hammon Alumni Banquet. You'll be hearing from me shortly (if I have your correct address). If you've moved since the last class reunion...way back in 2004...please update your address by calling or emailing or blogging or personally dropping it by my house here in Spring. Or you can tattle on someone else who has moved by providing us with his/her address. No junk mail, I promise.

We will meet in a banquet room at the Holidome, and if it gets crowded, we'll overflow (see, I'm still optimistic) into the domed area of the motel. I look forward to hearing from you. Expect a letter from me during February. See you in May!

Updated Bio - David

The stream of sand flowing down through the hourglass of my life seems to be falling faster and faster as the years go by. It seems that the fifty years since we graduated from high school have flown by with blazing speed.

There is less sand in the top half of my hourglass glass than in the bottom half. I figure that at least 85% of the sands of my life are in the bottom half. Who knows? I could have less than 15% remaining in the top. I can measure the bottom half of the hourglass by the amount of sand I'm standing on. But I have no way of knowing or measuring how much sand remains. Of course, this is true for all of us, the proud HHS Class of 1959. Sadly, the sands in the hourglasses of ten of our classmates have ceased to fall. Time has run out for them. Eternity is theirs. Those of us with sand still falling have a few more precious years of time remaining.

I wish I could say that I spent all of the time of my life thus far wisely. I wish I could say that I've achieved all I wanted to accomplish in the 67 years I've lived. I wish I could boast that my life was filled with only successes and no failures. But I can't. Wait a minute, I'm getting ahead of myself. This is supposed to be a bio. Okay, it's going to be one. Where do I begin? How about May of 1959?

As we all did, I walked through the line and received my diploma on that beautiful May evening approaching fifty years ago. At the time, I thought "commencement" was defined as "completing" something. After all, I was completing high school and that was all there was to it. But alas, I didn't understand that commencement is actually defined as beginning something. Commencement, more accurately defined, is "to take the first step or steps in carrying out an action." Taking first steps toward anything in the future was the last thing on my mind on that May evening so long ago. My mind was concentrating on taking the last steps across the stage in my less than stellar career as a student at dear old Hammon High.

Well, at the time I did begin to take steps toward the future but I had no idea where they would lead. The first step eventually led to Goodwell where I commenced on a long and somewhat crooked journey to get a college education. From 1959 through 1962, I attended Oklahoma Panhandle State University. I milked cows at the college dairy farm to help defray the cost of schooling. In 1964, after altering my career plans from farming to preaching, I enrolled in Oklahoma Baptist University.

In 1965, while a student at OBU, I married Effie Mae Hogg from Leedey. We lived in Prague. On weekdays I commuted from Prague to Shawnee to attend classes. On weekends I commuted to Seiling where I led the Seiling Indian Baptist Mission as a student pastor. In 1968, I transferred to Baptist College of Florida in Graceville. One of our classmates, Roy Howlingwater, graduated from BCF in 1968 shortly before he was killed during the robbery of the filling station in Elk City where he was working. Roy had completed BCF less than a year before his tragic death.

After studying two years at BCF, I transferred to William Carey University in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and graduated from that institution in 1970. I completed my undergraduate degree nearly twelve years after receiving my high school diploma. Most of my classmates who attended college had already completed their college careers by then. In the fall of 1970, I enrolled in Southwestern Baptist Theological in Ft. Worth, TX. Our two daughters, DaLeesa and Dorena, were born in Ft Worth. I worked nights at the Central Freight Lines terminal Ft. Worth to help defray expenses of my education.

I received a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Seminary in 1974 and moved to Canton where I became the pastor of the Canton Indian Baptist Church. Our son, Philip, was born while we were in Canton.

I served Canton IBC for nearly four years and moved to Elmore City to become the pastor of the First Baptist Church. I served there for 8 years and moved to Dewey to become the pastor of the First Baptist Church. While I was pastoring Dewey FBC, I returned to academia and earned a Doctor of Ministry from Midwestern Theological Seminary in Kansas City. After serving DFBC for nearly 15 years, I resigned and took a mid-level denominational job as Director of Missions for the Grady Baptist Association of Churches in Chickasha.

In 2001, I officially retired from pastoral ministry. Effie was still teaching Home Economics (now called Family and Consumer Science) in Ninnekah. In 2003, she transferred to Enid to teach. She retired in 2005. I figured I needed to move along with her if I wanted to eat healthy and have my bed made on a daily basis. So I moved with her and am continuing the "happy ever after" life I had before.

It is a truism that preachers never really retire. After about a year of not preaching on a regular basis, I was about to go crazy out of my gourd. In January of 2002 an opportunity arose for me to become pastor of the Watonga Indian Baptist Church. Now instead of being crazy out of my gourd, I'm happy because I get to preach at least one sermon every Sunday.

Summary: Effie and I live on the northwest side of Enid. She is now retired from teaching and I recently took a secular job at the Enid newspaper where I work nights inserting ads into the newspapers. She's free shop and go to all the garage sales in the county and I work an enjoyable job which helps supplement our Social Security checks. On Sundays, we drive down to Watonga and I preach my weekly sermon. Sometime I preach it rather weakly, but always on a weekly basis nonetheless.

Our children are all pursuing their individual careers. None are married and I have no grandchildren. DaLeesa, is a professional piano accompanist and does gigs with students at Oklahoma City University and Southern Nazarene University. She also is a librarian for Ross Ellison Public Library in Oklahoma City. Dorena is a Pre-Kindergarten teacher in Mustang. Philip, ever the professional student somewhat like his father, is completing a masters degree in Philosophy at Oklahoma State University. He lives in Cushing and works at the Cushing Public Library.

My ministry career has been less than stellar. Of the five churches I pastored down through the years, two no longer exist. They faded into oblivion many years ago. However, I'm happy to say that the other three, including the little church in Watonga, are happily surviving. I enjoy wood carving, reading theology, reading nonfiction, reading a few novels (which includes all of Bud's), and moderating discussions on a Baptist internet discussion forum. I also serve as a trustee for Bacone College in Muskogee, which is a four-year liberal arts college affiliated with the American Baptist Church (ABCUSA). Bacone College, established in 1880, is the oldest college in Oklahoma and embraces a historic educational mission with American Indians.

That's about it for recounting my bio. The sands continue to flow through the hourglass of my life. Life goes on. I’ll be celebrating 50 years of life after graduation from high school in less than 125 days. I’m hoping a large number of my classmates will join me at this momentous event.

Updated Bio-Carolyn & Bud

I spent a few minutes updating our bios, and I suppose it's a sad but significant commentary that it only took me a few minutes to summarize the last five years of our lives. Oh, well, at least we had the five years to summarize...beats the alternative. Now, if I can remember the lesson David taught me about transferring files to a blog, the updated bio will appear below:

Bingo! I remembered!

Hugh F. (Bud) Wynn
Carolyn J. (Burke) Wynn
17214 Hillview Lane Spring, TX 77379
hwynn1941@comcast.net

My original intent was to print the bio I wrote for Carolyn (Burke) and I back in 1999 (or was it 2004). But after a quick perusal, I concluded that it was much too long to reproduce on the blog. With David’s permission and help, I fully intend to reproduce all of the bios that classmates wrote the last time around, including many of the photos they submitted. And how about some new photos for the updated bio versions? In any event, set forth below are brief summaries of our lives since our last posting.

To begin with the important stuff, both of our daughters, Kim (now 41) and Nikki (now 38) still live in Houston. Nikki spent 4 ½ years with Ogilvie & Mather in New York during the past decade, but decided that she was really a Texan and came back home. Truth is, she couldn’t afford to live there, even with a good job. Those Yanks really love high taxes and their welfare programs. Since her return to Houston, Nikki has joined forces with a water conservation constituency, has written two children’s books about storm water pollution and water conservation, and largely occupies her time as a journalist (she still has no husband to contend with).

When Kim returned from her 4 years in Hong Kong, she shucked her first husband and became a newspaper reporter. After knocking around with several small local community papers, she became a Houston Chronicle reporter, first full-time, and then as a freelance journalist. She went to freelance status when little Henry was born in order to spend more time at home with our only grandchild. She’s still a freelancer, and I’m an occasional babysitter while she attends all of those nighttime meetings, reporting on local events. Oh, yeah, Kim remarried…a Houston cop…a lieutenant on the HPD force who is currently completing requirements to become an attorney. Carolyn says we need a good attorney in the family…apparently, divorce court still looms.

I sold my “goat farm” northwest of Houston, so Abbie and I make do with each other’s company. Yep, Abbie, the golden retriever, still lives, but she is about as gimpy and gray as her master (I’m not sure who’s really the master). So, we no longer commune with nature, mow pastures, prune trees, and fight off the wood ticks and chiggers…but the farm did inspire my first novel, “Laundry List”(authors never miss the opportunity to plug a book). I’ve written four other books since (or is it three after the first two…time gets away), none of which sold nearly as many copies as Nikki’s first children’s book. In fact, her first book outsold all of mine combined! And she doesn’t let me forget it. If only I had paid more attention in Mary Miller’s English class. Are David and Shirley (Young) still writing?

Those books and my involvement in the water conservation effort with my daughters… and a brief fling with local Cypress Creek flood control issues…has kept me busy these many years. Not to mention the bay house on Galveston Island. We built this bay house in the late 1990’s, and Lord help me, that home has cbeen a pain in my...well, you get the point. The place is haunted, or hexed, or something. Our builder declared bankruptcy when it was about 95% completed…and guess who had to finish it? Several years later the stucco started leaking, thanks again to that absentee builder. Guess who won the honors of replacing the complete exterior? And more recently, after dodging Hurricane Ike, an attic water heater ruptured, and yep, we had to replace most of the interior…including the furniture? The silver lining to this saga is that we have a brand new, 10-year old house…and a slimmed-down bank account. But it gave me something to do, Carolyn said.

We’ve traveled some during these recent years, Carolyn more than I. She travels on occasion with some Okie buddies, and allows me to stay at home with the dog. Our most recent trip together was a couple of week in Alaska with, yep, some Okie friends. It’s hard to shake those Okies. We may go to England one of these years, but I’ll put that off as long as I can.

I’m a longtime member of the local YMCA, and as a consequence, my body is lean, lithe, muscular, well-buffed...and did I mention that my hair was coming back in, black. While I’m over there contemplating whether or not to exercise, I help the organization with fundraisers and such. It’s a fantastically well-equipped organization with thousands of members, young and old, many like me who “contemplate” more than “exercise.”

Life goes on…today pretty much like the day before. Carolyn is working three days a week now instead of five; still with Family Service; still trying to cure bad marriages. She plans to completely retire soon (at age 67), probably before the reunion. But she had better stay out of my hair!! I’ve had a home office for 25 years, and sure as shootin’, she’ll be trying to invade my space. I have no intentions of retiring as long as I can make the “commute” across the breezeway and up the stairs.

My latest literary effort is writing the biography of a prominent Houstonian oilman, who’s also a friend. It’s coming along nicely…if I can just figure out how to efficiently transcribe those interviews tapes. Why, oh, why didn't I pay attention in Doris Lamb’s shorthand class. That’s pretty much it. We're just trying to enjoy life and stay healthy. So far, so good.
Looking forward to seeing all of you at the 50th reunion.

Flashback...

A half a decade ago, the Hammon Class of 1959 held a grand 45th reunion at Judy (Cribbs) Thomas's house in Elk City. It was well attended. I've forgotten how many of us were there, but I certainly enjoyed the day. Most of us went to the Hammon Alumni Banquet that evening.

Bud, at his expense, provided a booklet that contained a ton of interesting information. Included in the booklet was a large section of biographies. In addition to the biographies, we included several stories about the past and a poem by Shirley Young.

Shortly after the reunion, I created a web page that included some of the information contained in the booklet. I also posted photographs of that reunion. That web page is still in on the internet. I thought it might be interesting to post the link so that some of our classmates and friends could experience a flashback to our 45th anniversary reunion.

As a disclaimer, the original version of that web page in was gaudily put together. I was a rank amateur in creating web pages. Still am, for that matter. So I went back and tidied up the site by changing the gaudy colors and reformating the sub pages pages slightly. The content of the web page remains virtually the same. I didn't edit any of the written material.

For those interested in browsing the web page and its sub pages, here's the link. Enjoy!

The 45th Reunion of the Hammon Class of 1959

Roll Call for the HHS Class of '59

Here is the latest list of the class roll. For security reasons, we have elected not to post phone numbers and street addresses.

ROLL CALL
Hammon High School Class of ‘59

Blackhawk, Danny Joe . . . . . . . .Deceased
Burke, Carolyn J. (Wynn). . . . . .Spring, TX
Burrows, Damon . . . . . . . . . . .Wichita, KS
Buttry, Arwelda (Wilkinson). . . .Goodwell, OK
Carpenter, John. . . . . . . . . . . Hammon, OK
Castleberry, Norma J. (Jones) .
Cribbs, Judy M. (Thomas) . . . . .Elk City, OK
Clark, Vickie (Marler) . . . . . . . Arlington, TX
Drinnon, Roy. . . . . . . . . . . . . Elk City, OK
Driver, Mahlon. . . . . . . . . . . . Reydon, OK
Flick, David . . . . . . . . . . . . . Enid, OK
Gass, Don . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Choctaw, OK
Givens, Richard L. . . . . . . . . . Elk City, OK
Gwartney, Joyce (Ruch. . . . . . .Midwest City, OK
Hoffman, Fredrick . . . . . . . . . .Deceased
Howlingwater, Roy. . . . . . . . . Deceased
Johnson, Sharon Dugger). . . . .Chickasha, OK
Jordon, Bill. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Quinton, OK
Kauley, Kenneth. . . . . . . . . . Deceased
Miles, Franklin. . . . . . . . . . .Deceased
Miller, James E. . . . . . . . . . .Cheyenne, OK
Mooney, Larry . . . . . . . . . . . Dolores, CO
Mooney, Lowell . . . . . . . . . . Elk City, OK
Moore, Faye (Tullis) . . . . . . . Stafford, TX
Morton, Gerald E.(Jerry) . . . . Houston, TX
Murdock, Lloyd, Jr. . . . . . . . Princeton, KY
Noblitt, Darryl. . . . . . . . . . . Woodlands, CA
Noblitt, Jimmie . . . . . . . . . . Elk City, OK
Page, Sue (Hinkey) . . . . . . . . Boston, NY
Parker, Harrison, Jr. . . . . . . .Deceased
Patton, John . . . . . . . . . . . .McAlester, OK
Payne, Harry L.. . . . . . . . . . .Elk city, OK
Pierce, James. . . . . . . . . . . .Bethany, OK
Pinkston, Eddie L. . . . . . . . . .Deceased
Reagan, Jack . . . . . . . . . . . . Deceased
Reagan, Margaret. . . . . . . . . . Elk City, OK
Rennels, Ronnie . . . . . . . . . . Clinton, OK
Rhea, Catherine (Mosley) . . . . .Houston, TX
Ruch, Gregory . . . . . . . . . . . . Midwest City, OK
Shockey, Johnny . . . . . . . . . . .Leedey, OK
Smith, John J. . . . . . . . . . . . .Hammon, OK
Spitler, Myrna (Hethcox). . . . . . Amarillo, TX
Stalcup, Eddie F. . . . . . . . . . . .Gallup, NM
Stewart, Howard . . . . . . . . . . .Moore, OK
Thomas, Freddie . . . . . . . . . . Deceased
Travis, Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deceased
Tucker, Karen (Ogletree) . . . . . Irving, TX
Waters, Carrol D. . . . . . . . . . .Elk City, OK
Whiteman, Edith J. (Bisonette) . Hammon, OK
Whitson, Billy . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sacramento, CA
Woodhouse, Nannie (Wheeler) . .Hammon, OK
Wynn, Hugh F. (Bud) . . . . . . . .Spring, TX
Young, Shirley (Wilson) . . . . . . Fayetteville, AR

Email Addresses:

Castleberry, Norma J. (Jones) . . njcjonesey@aol.com
Flick, David . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dlflick@suddenlink.net
Page, Sue (Hinkey). . . . . . . . . grandma91@roadrunner.com
Rennels, Ronnie . . . . . . . . . . .crantquilt@aol.com
Wynn, Bud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hwynn1941@comcast.net

Updated Bios

Re the updated bios, what a great idea, Sue! I know mine has changed a lot. I'm much better looking, am slim and trim, and my hair is growing back in...black. We now have little Henry, and Carolyn has aged considerably. Her disposition, however, has remained the same. Let's do it. I'm officially requesting that you, David, and all other classmates submit your bios ASAP. You can post them as comments to the blog or send them by email to David for posting on the blog. Perhaps we can consolidate them in a booklet like we did the last time...for handout at the reunion (unless someone has a better idea).

David received an email from Richard this weekend, so the word is gradually spreading. Good to hear from you, Richard. I, too, can milk, but may have lost my touch over the years. David seems to be doing better with goats than the cows. Wonder why? I don't think the Flicks were goat ranchers. But they weren't preachers either, and look what rose from their midst.

Looking forward to hearing from other classmates. We need your help in tracking down those who are lost (or maybe I'm the one that's lost). Anyhow, we need the help...particularly with email addresses. What a great way to communicate.

Bios...send those bios!

Evie Sue...

Here's some good news. Evie Sue Hinkey (better known to the Class of '59 as "Sue Page") has a new blog. I've posted a link to her blog over in the class blog list in the column on the right. Click on Yankee Girls News and read her blog.

Welcome to the blogosphere, Sue. We're glad to have you closer contact with you...

My God! We've had Our First Response!!!

Hey, classmates, look what we have here...our first response to the Class of '59 Blog (even though it came via email). Great to hear from you, Sue. Hope your recovery is going without complications. We need you to be completely healed for the reunion.

And yes, I do remember that you were...uh...the quiet, shy, and retiring type...seldom said a word. Well, here's your chance to talk all you want. We need your input about how to properly plan this reunion, or to just shoot the bull. And get some of your old cronies to join us. I never realized we had such a reserved group of people in our class.

To answer your question, I think we've lost about ten classmates...too many, unfortunately. But to all of us still alive and kicking, let's make this a 100% attendance reunion. We can do it!!

"YES, Hugh Fraiser, I know how to blog. Nothing to figure out. I am recovering from breast cancer surgery. Only done last Wed. Stitches out tomorrow, so I can interact on the blog,I am having a little trouble getting back into the swing of things. Hope all is well with you and your family..The reunion should be great. Any idea how many of us are left?
I can't wait to get out and go back to work, I am not used to doing nothing, plus IT IS WINTER IN WESTERN NEW YORK, But I love the snow.
Next week I will get on the blog and add my thoughts, I so don't like to talk, thats why I work for a Dr!!!!! I do have a few people tell me I talk to much. So I will go and hope to hear from you soon. LOL SUE PS I also love to text.
Sue Hinkey

Lesson in blogging...transporting photos

This is what a post-hurricane water heater malfunction can do to a bayhouse. And we thought we dodged the storm!!!

David, I'm publishing this photo to see if I remember any of the lessons you taught me last evening. Must have...here it is.

Thanks for your patience. And to all of you other classmates, if I can learn how to blog, so can you (if you don't already know how).

Class of '59 Class Roll

Here is the latest class roll. For security reaslons, we have elected not to post street addresses.

ROLL CALL
HHS Class of ‘59

Blackhawk, Danny Joe . . . . . . . .Deceased
Burke, Carolyn J. (Wynn). . . . . . .Spring, TX
Burrows, Damon . . . . . . . . . . . . Wichita, KS
Buttry, Arwelda (Wilkinson). . . .Goodwell, OK
Carpenter, John. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hammon, OK
Castleberry, Norma J. (Jones) .
Cribbs, Judy M. (Thomas) . . . . .Elk City, OK
Clark, Vickie (Marler) . . . . . . . . .Arlington, TX
Drinnon, Roy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elk City, OK
Driver, Mahlon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Reydon, OK
Flick, David . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Enid, OK
Gass, Don . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Choctaw, OK
Givens, Richard L. . . . . . . . . . . . Elk City, OK
Gwartney, Joyce (Ruch) . . . . . . . Midwest City, OK
Hoffman, Fredric . . . . . . . . . . . . Deceased
Howlingwater, Roy . . . . . . . . . . .Deceased
Johnson, Sharon (Dugger). . . . . Chickasha, OK
Jordon, Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Quinton, OK
Kauley, Kenneth . . . . . . . . . . . . .Deceased
Miles, Franklin . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Deceased
Miller, James E. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cheyenne, OK
Mooney, Larry . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dolores, CO
Mooney, Lowell . . . . . . . . . . . . .Elk City, OK
Moore, Faye (Tullis) . . . . . . . . .Stafford, TX
Morton, Gerald E. (Jerry) . . . . .Houston, TX
Murdock, Lloyd, Jr. . . . . . . . . . . Princeton, KY
Noblitt, Darryl. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Woodlands, CA
Noblitt, Jimmie . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Elk City, OK
Page, Sue (Hinkey) . . . . . . . . . . .Boston, NY
Parker, Harrison, Jr. . . . . . . . . .Deceased
Patton, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .McAlester, OK
Payne, Harry L.. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Elk city, OK
Pierce, James. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bethany, OK
Pinkston, Eddie L. . . . . . . . . . .Deceased
Reagan, Jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Deceased
Reagan, Margaret. . . . . . . . . . . .Elk City, OK
Rennels, Ronnie . . . . . . . . . . . . .Clinton, OK
Rhea, Catherine (Mosley) . . . . . Houston, TX
Ruch, Gregory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Midwest City, OK
Shockey, Johnny . . . . . . . . . . . . .Leedey, OK
Smith, John J. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hammon, OK
Spitler, Myrna (Hethcox). . . . . . .Amarillo, TX
Stalcup, Eddie F. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gallup, NM
Stewart, Howard . . . . . . . . . . . . Moore, OK
Thomas, Freddie . . . . . . . . . . . . .Deceased
Travis, Bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Deceased
Tucker, Karen (Ogletree) . . . . . . .Irving, TX
Waters, Carrol D. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Elk City, OK
Whiteman, Edith J. (Bisonette) . .Hammon, OK
Whitson, Billy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sacramento, CA
Woodhouse, Nannie (Wheeler) . . .Hammon, OK
Wynn, Hugh F. (Bud) . . . . . . . . . . . Spring, TX
Young, Shirley (Wilson) . . . . . . . . . Fayetteville, AR


Email Addresses:
Castleberry, Norma J. (Jones) . . njcjonesey@aol.com
Flick, David . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .dlflick@suddenlink.net
Rennels, Ronnie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .crantquilt@aol.com
Wynn, Bud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hwynn1941@comcast.net

Where are those comments?

With all of those wonderful instructions David has provided, I fully expected some comments by now. We need the help of those who already know about our blog. Spread the word. Let's get this thing going. C'mon John Smith. I know you check cattle and wheat prices all day every day. Share your thoughts with us. And the Ruchs...you've been computer literate for years. Join in. Judy, where are you?...and Sue...and Sharon (our class secretary). You, too, Arwelda. You've been threatening to come to our reunions for years. Now's the time. And Shirley Young. We expect you to join us. We missed you the last time. Kitty, you have it figured out by now, don't you? I could go on, and as most of you know, I will. Let's join forces and make this a successful 50th class reunion. Bub, do they teach computer science at the University of Kentucky? Limber up those fingers. Time is short, Morton...especially for a man your age. Looking forward to hearing from all of you...I'll pick on the rest in a later posting.

Getting acquainted with the Blogosphere...

There's a good possibility that most of us --the Class of '59-- are unfamiliar with the "blogosphere" and blogging. The reason, of course, is that the blogosphere came into existence a full forty years after we graduated from high school. In fact, the world of blogging bursted onto the scene with it's full impact only in the last four or five years.

Members of our class didn't grow up with computers. Those of us who now have computers, purchased them in the last decade or so. Our children and grandchildren grew up with computers and are familiar the technology and terminology of a world of communication that is difficult for us to comprehend.

In this blog post, I want to define a couple of terms and give you some pointers about to reading and participating on the Class of '59 Blog.

Blog: A blog is a Web site that is usually maintained by an individual (in our case, two individuals) with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material. "Blog" is a contraction of the term, "Web log." Our blog was created for the specific purpose of providing regular entries of commentary about the celebration of the 50th anniversary of our graduation from high school. But that's not all Bud and I desire to do with the blog. We hope to make this web site a gathering place for members of our class and other interested parties. We hope this will become an effective tool of communication.

Blogosphere: "Blogosphere" is a collective term encompassing all blogs and their interconnections. It is the perception that blogs exist together as a connected community (or as a collection of connected communities) or as a social network. According to Wikipedia, the term was coined as a joke on September 10, 1999 by Brad L. Graham. However, it quickly became the term to denote the entire world of blogging. Think about it for a moment. That was almost exactly 40 years after our graduation from high school. So there's nothing for us to be ashamed about for not being too familiar with the term or that sphere of communication.

Pointers on how to read and respond to a blog:
1) Blogs are funny things in some ways. The last article written on a blog is the first article that appears at the top of the page. Blogs are posted by their dates. So the latest dated blog appears at the top. As you read down the page, remember that an earlier blog post follows the first and so on. For example I wrote the first blog post on January 1st. Yet it is the last article that appears on this page.

2) There is a table of blog contents in the column to the right. Those titles are links to the individual articles. When you click on the link of a title, your computer pops the article to the top of the screen and you can read the article along with whatever comments that participants write to that particular blog post. There is a box at the bottom of the page where anyone can write a response to that particular blog.

3) All blog articles have headers. Those headers are links to themselves. You can click on the header of the article and that will also pop the the article to the top and the reader comments will become visible.

4) The comment box is the place for readers to respond. There are a series steps one must take in order to write a response. The responder is required have some sort of internet identification to post a response. Since our blog is hosted by Google, the easiest way to respond in the comment box is to create a Google account. It is easy to create a Google account. Go to google.com and sign up for a Gmail address. When you create the account, you will have the necessary internet identification to post a comment to the blogsite.

Hopefully this information will be useful to help novices move forward into the vast blogosphere.

In closing, if there are members and readers who choose to forgo establishing an Internet identification, you may send a blog message to me and I will post your message in a blog so others may read your message. Send your message to my blog email address, which is phlick59@gmail.com

Tentative plans...

Thanks to Cindy and Ronnie Rennels, we have some information on the costs of holding our 50th reunion at the Holidome in Elk City. The banquet rooms, which open onto the holidome area range from $100 (accomodating 30-40 people) to $150.00 (accomodating up to 60 people). The Holiday Inn offers food/snack/drink service if needed...we would probably need these services.

If you plan to stay in the Inn, rooms on the upper level are $95/day; ground floor rooms facing the outside are $99/day; and ground floor rooms facing the inside are $105/day (NOTE: all rooms come with a hot, full breakfast for up to four people!!)...sounds like a good deal to me. Carolyn has already demanded three of our four shares.

We haven't yet committed to holding our function at the Holiday Inn, but if we do, Cindy suggests that we call the Holiday Inn direct (580-225-6637) instead of the 800 reservation line. When you call, mention the Hammon Class of '59 rate special. A decision will be made very soon about where we plan to meet.

Usually, we take up a collection at the end of the festivities to handle the bill. Occasionally, the amount collected has been more than needed. I pocketed the difference. We could also estimate the cost of the event and spread it among the attending graduates ahead of time. It's up to you. I prefer the former since it has been so personally lucrative over the years.

Learn how to open that Google personal profile so you can comment on the blogs...or just send your comments to David in email form. Either way, let us hear from you.

"Blogosphere," "Cyberspace," and Other Words...

So the Class of 1959 has a blog. We have entered cyberspace and are now posting messages into the blogosphere with our very own personal computers (PCs). Many of us regularly use our PCs to exchange emails with one another. We have learned how to use a web browser to search the Internet for interesting and useful information. Many have now become fairly adept at "googling" for information on the vast World Wide Web (WWW).

I purchased all of Bud's books through the Internet by ordering them from BarnesandNoble.Com. I've also purchased many books from Amazon.Com. I suspect that a few members of our class have purchased and/or sold items on eBay. For several years I had a personal web page. Currently I express myself in written form on my own personal blog. I am also a moderator on a religious internet discussion forum. Over the last decade, computers and the Internet have become an integral part of my life. But I'm an old codger compared to the way my children use computers and the Internet.

In the two previous paragraphs, I wrote fourteen words/terms that weren't in my vocabulary in 1959. Shucks, these words weren't in my vocabulary as recent as thirteen years ago. Can you imagine how Mrs. Miller, or any of our high school teachers, would have responded had we uttered any of these words in class in 1959? Of course, we couldn't have uttered them because they didn't exist fifty years ago.

1. "blog,"
2. blogosphere"
3. "cyberspace"
4. "personal computer,"
5. "email,"
6. "web browser,"
7. "Internet,"
8. "googling,"
9. "World Wide Web,"
10. "BarnesandNoble.Com,"
11. "Amazon.Com,"


12. "eBay,"
13. "web page,"
14. ""internet discussion forum."

I purchased my first PC in 1995. I didn't know didly about computers. I couldn't type a lick. I was pastoring the First Baptist Church in Dewey, and my colleague and very good friend, Rev. Don Simpson, at the United Methodist Church two blocks away, had a PC. I thought at the very least I had to have a computer to keep up with the Methodists. Couldn't have the Methodist preacher sending fast emails while the Baptist preacher was still sending those slow snailmails.

I entered the blogosphere about a month after I learned how to send emails. I had a CompuServe account and began participating in a Baptist internet discussion forum. That was thirteen very short years ago. To put it another way, it was thirty-seven years after I graduated from high school before I entered the modern world of cyberspace communication.

Where am I going with this? Well, I'm not the only member of the Hammon Class of '59 who has entered the modern world of cyber communication. Many of us have entered that world reluctantly, sometimes kicking and screaming. I suspect there are a few who have yet to enter that world. For those of us who have, this blog is a great way to achieve instant communication about things of personal and collective interest.

There are two ways that everyone with an email account can participate in this blog venture:

1) Create a Google account. By creating a Google account you can write comments to any blog article that Bud and I post. Actually it's quite easy to to do. Click on the "Create Blog" link up in the right hand corner of this web page. Follow the instructions and create a personal profile. Once you've created the Google account, you can click on the "comments" link below this blog entry and write a comment to the blog.

2) Email a blog message to me and I'll post it on the blog. I created an email account specifically for this blogsite. Anyone wishing to write a blog message may send the email message to me at: phlick59@gmail.com. (You can click on my email address, which will open the email program on your PC and go from there.) I'll be happy to post any and all messages so that everyone can read your message.

The choice is yours. Both are easy. Bud and I invite all class members (as well as friends of the HHS Class of '59) to join the fun.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Truism: "You're never too old to have a little fun in the blogosphere."

Bud

To those classmates who've already tuned in, if you know of others who paly with computers, please let them know about the Class of '59 blog. We should be able to effectively use this blog to get a big turn-out for the 50th class reunion (hopefully 100% of those still with us). David has been kind enough to set up this important communication tool, which I hope we can use to stay in touch after the reunion. Give us a hand, folks. Encourage your classmates to join in this effort to promote the biggest turnout yet for our reunion. By the way, classmates who didn't graduate with us are also welcome. Get on board!!! Let us hear from you.

Something to do...

Greetings Fellow Classmates!

Here's something you can do each time you log on to our blog. (If you're a member of the Class of '59, it's your blog as well.)

Take a look at the column on the right (at the bottom) and notice the countdown clock. That's the time remaining until we celebrate the 50th anniversary of our graduation from dear old Hammon High School. We will be celebrating that event at the annual alumni banquet.

Here's a photograph of several of our gang at the '03 banquet whereupon we celebrated our 45th. Can you identify these class members?

Bud and I are counting on every member of the Class of '59 to determinedly mark this event on his/her calendar. Do it now while you're thinking about it...

----------------------------------------------------------------

Here's something else you can do. You can write a response to any blog that Bud and I post. Simply click on the "comments" link below this post and write a response in the box. Don't be shy. Just do it with the confidence of a Hammon High School grad of 50 years...

Here we go!!

On this first day of 2009, we, Bud Wynn and David Flick, are beginning the Hammon Class of '59 blog. The primary purpose of this blog is to promote the highest attendance possible at the 50th anniversary of the graduation of the Class of 1959.

We will share responsibilities of posting articles. This blog is open to everyone, especially to the HHS Class of '59. This will be the gathering place for class members and friends to read and respond to one another as we look forward to the exciting event of celebrating the Golden Anniversary of our graduation from high school.

In addition to promoting our anniversary celebration, we hope to eventually post some photographs of class members. Some will be current photos, others will be old ones. We will delineate details of that project later.

We invite any and all to post responses in the comment sections. Post the address of this blog in your Favorites and visit us often. As of today, there are 141 days remaining until we celebrate the 50th anniversary of our graduation from Hammon High School. Exciting? You bet...