HHS 40 Something Reunion
Saturday Night

Welcome everyone! If you weren't here last night, I'm sorry. You missed a great time. But there's a lot of excitement scheduled for tonight, too.

We're glad you're here now. Our theme for this weekend is "Surviving the Test of Time!" focusing on Life's Journey, Sharing Ourselves, Chasing Yesterday, and Renewing Old Friendships and Acquaintances ... Together. When you start thinking about survival—illness and disease come to mind, in addition to surviving family trials and work challenges. Often the biggest struggle is surviving our selves.

This weekend, WE DON'T CARE if you have wealth if you're not sharing it with those who don't. We don't care if you've become famous, if you've forgotten the rest of us. We don't care if you are powerful outside this room. Here, we are equals who want to have fun and I know we can do it with the wide variety of personalities we have.

A couple of weeks ago, I was thinking about my daughter's dad who also graduated in 1966, but from a small town of 900 people, just south of Fort Worth. There were only eight seniors in his high school graduation class. I can't imagine the experiences and opportunities he missed out on by not having the wealth of friendships that all of you provided when we were young. From that perspective, I think we were very lucky to be in a class that wasn't too small, yet not too big.

I'd like to thank all the contributing photographers. In addition to my own photos, you will see some from:

If you don't see many of the people at your table, perhaps you can convince someone there to share theirs with us.

Background music has been added to play as you read. If you don't like it, just click it off or on.

I've added some background music to play as you read. If you don't like it, just click it off or on.

Love Story

See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns.
See you make your way through the crowd
and say hello

Toast

We'll begin with tonight's toast. Raise your glasses.

To us
More than we were,
Better than we are,
All that we imagined.

Alma Mater

I'd like to ask Sara Johnson Lacy to lead us as we sing the Harlingen High School Alma Mater. If you don't remember the words, look at the Saturday night agenda in your booklet. Sara...

"There's a feeling good and true,
And it's from our hearts to you,
As we give a toast to thee,
May you ever happy be,
And though far from here we roam
We will always call you home,
It's the place we love the best,
Dear ole H H S!"

Veterans Project

In the booklet, you'll also find information about a project to document and record accounts of our own classmate Vietnam War Veterans and others from the Valley through videotaped interviews. Rudy Escobar, husband of Linda Gonzalez Escobar, will be helping me with this endeavor. He is a Vietnam Veteran who graduated from Edinburg High School in 1966. Rudy currently works for American Airlines as a trainer for MD80 pilot trainers (he trains the trainers). There is more information in the booklet. Feel free, also to ask if you have any questions.

I found this appropriate quote. "A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.' "

That is HONOR, and there are too many people in this country who no longer understand it. I salute all of you Veterans whether you were in Vietnam or not!

And, speaking of Veterans, James Beene would like to talk to you for a couple of minutes. James...

The content of James's speech included the following..

It is our wish to honor Glen Cleckler for his military service in the Marine Corp during World War II. Mr. Cleckler is a survivor of the battle for Iwo Jima.

The invasion of Iwo Jima began on February 19, 1945, and continued to March 26, 1945. The battle was a major initiative of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. The Marine invasion, known as Operation Detachment, was charged with the mission of capturing the airfields on the island which up until that time had harried U.S. bombing missions to Tokyo. Once the bases were secured, they could then be of use in the impending invasion of the Japanese mainland.

The battle was marked by some of the fiercest fighting of the War. The Imperial Japanese Army positions on the island were heavily fortified, with vast bunkers, hidden artillery, and 18 kilometers (11 mi) of tunnels. The battle was the first American attack on the Japanese Home Islands and the Imperial soldiers defended their positions tenaciously. Of the 21,000 Japanese soldiers present at the beginning of the battle, over 20,000 were killed and only 1,083 taken prisoner.

We wish we had known these things when we were in school. His best friend in Weslaco was Harlon Block (they were born about 5 days apart) who was the "Point Man"(setting the pole) on the famous flag raising on Mt. Surabachi.

In this Veterans reunion 2008 photo, Mr. Cleckler is on the far right.

"Honor to Serve" is how many Veterans feel. Sara Johnson Lacy honored all our Veterans singing her rendition of this song.

Lyrics to An Honor To Serve:

Toast

I'd like to make a final toast to you all...

Good night friends. Please try to keep in touch.