REUNION COUNTDOWN – IT’S CLOSER THAN YOU THINK!

Dear Friends,

We are now only a few short weeks away from our reunion and we are busy making plans to guarantee this will be a great event!  The venues are set, the Reunion Committee members are getting their assignments and we are ALL looking forward to seeing as many classmates as possible at this event. The idea is for folks to attend and not worry about a dress code, gray hair, no hair, wrinkles, bad knees, etc… After all, we graduated in 1969, and everything was cool then and it will be the same way at the reunion!

It  is now time to put YOU to work!  First thing – REGISTER – if you haven’t already…Scroll down for the registration form.

What do we need from you after that?  We need your enthusiasm, your willingness to promote the reunion and your connections to fellow classmates.  Are there some you know of who have not registered as yet?  Would you be willing to talk to them and find out why they are not registering? Are there financial concerns – please let us know and we may be able to help. Do they think it is a waste of time or that they will not be welcomed and included? One of the goals of the Reunion Committee is to make sure ALL who attend are welcomed, included and treated like the special guests they are!

• The Reunion Committee is committed to making this Reunion one that reflects what we all ached for back then and still do to this day…. Peace, Love, Harmony and Connection. That’s it. Nothing more and nothing less. We need ALL of you to make this happen. Please join us and “Get Back to Where You Once Belonged.”

Remember that we also have the Ride-Share option if you’re concerned about transportation or just don’t want to drive!  We have you covered…..

Below is the Ride Share form –

“Take It Easy Drivers and Easy Riders” …Here’s the link to the Ride Share form:
http://bit.ly/McNaryRideShare

PLEASE remember that we have agreed to give back to our Alma Mater by collecting funds and/or donations of school supplies and backpacks which will be provided to those McNary students whose families cannot provide these things for them. Please do what you can to contribute in some way to this great service project.  How can you do that?

• When you send in your registration, please send a separate check or write one check that includes an extra amount that you would like to contribute to this project. Please designate the amount you are donating in order for accurate funds dispersal.
• Purchase supplies based on a list that will be posted here and on our Facebook page and bring them to one of our events. We will have a donation barrel at each event.
• If you are coming to the Reunion, but are unable to attend every event, consider paying for all 3 events but let us know you would like to donate the fees from those events you are unable to attend to this project.

Any questions, concerns, etc?  Please feel free to email the following folks for answers!

Bruce Chapin – chapin@onlinenw.com

Sandy (Febach) Armstrong – anisarmstrong@gmail.com

You can also post a question on our Facebook page… McNary Class of 69 – we check it daily for questions, comments, etc.  

We are also on alumni class.com – McNary 69 alumni. 

Looking forward to being with you in September!!

 

 

 

Our Last Hurrah At McNary

We were staring at our future while still standing in our high school memories. This last issue brings it all home as we see who will follow in our footsteps in student government, sports, academic achievement, social circles and what they will wish to change in what we have left behind. This last issue of The Piper is a poignant look back at the end of our Senior Year.

 

 

 

Bittersweet Ending To Our Senior Year

This post contains two of the last issues of The Piper. The prom was a big deal to some, but not all of us, end of the year athletic events were ongoing, and we see that school funding and the detrimental effects of teens on drugs were hot topics.  

How can our country still not make solving just these two problems a top priority? Things surely seem to have gotten worse – not better, and it it hard to see a light at the end of this dark tunnel. We can only hope that the voices of our children and grandchildren are loud and powerful enough to affect the necessary societal changes. How did we fail?  

 

 

A New Play, Election Results, Student Apathy, Spring Tournaments, Music & Sports

This issue of the Piper shows that although life at McNary goes on, there is still a sense of the end of the school year drawing nigh!  

How Have Times Changed Since High School?

Reading this issue of the Piper reminds me of how much some things have changed since we were at McNary. Girl of the Month and Rotarian of the Month were important honors at our school, the Valentine’s Day Dance was always a big event for the romantic among us! There was a call for applicants to compete in the Miss Salem Beauty Pageant and an article about the display of class rings and other items for those of us graduating in June 1969.

Of interest, in terms of how things have changed, there was an article revealing the results of a poll concerning what boys and girls wish the opposite sex would do. Read the answers and see how you feel about them, given the changing relationships between the sexes in today’s world. And a fellow Celtic, Peggy Kosack, was named The Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow.  

There is also an article about property tax relief and a sales tax! That seems to be a recurring theme in Oregon.  

Interesting editorials on love and another one calling out parents and students who boo and jeer the opposing teams at McNary sporting events.

The Wrestling team was headed to District… with three leading athletes named: Eddie Mellott, Bruce Chapin and the late Dave Luke. These guys were amazing to watch!  And, of course our Basketball team was powerful. The gymnasts were also heading to District, well representing our school.  

Enjoy this issue and see how things have changed and yet some things have stayed the same.

Social Issues, Opinions, Talents, Honors and Sports

This issue of The Piper is very interesting! On the front page we have an article about married students, some of whom were our classmates and who are interviewed. It gives us some perspective of how some of our classmates had a whole different experience in high school. There is also an announcement of a Family Life class series being offered by the YMCA. How much do you think things have changed since that class was presented?

Take time to read the editorial “On the Way Out.” It speaks on the topic of protests and how they were carried out during those years.

We also get to read about some of our talented classmates who were involved in the plays at McNary. Who remembers Lemon Flatbush? It was well done and the level of talent of our thespians was amazing! And a new play is introduced in this issue. Great job all!

Judy Berg was honored in this issue for winning top price in the Elks statewide Leadership Contest. Her prize was $1000 which she stated with go directly for college.

And, let’s not forget our great athletes…. Basketball, Swimming, Wrestling and Gymnastics. We had so many gals and guys that were outstanding.

Enjoy this issue. Really gives us all an idea of what was happening when we were Seniors.

Happy 1969 + 50!!

Randy Hledik greeted me in this manner when he sent the first two 1969 issues of the McNary Piper, and I like it very much. It puts our 50th Reunion into perspective and makes it even more important that as many of us attend as possible.

Please note on the first page, our Girl and Boy of the Month for January! Dawn Bauer is one of our Reunion Committee Members and is such a great addition to the Committee as she comes up with wonderful ideas to create a meaningful reunion for everyone!

On the second page, you will see an article about classmate Gary Ebert who received nominations to both West Point and the Air Force Academy.

I also love the photos of some of our great athletes which are shown on Page 3. Can you guess who is who?

The Last Piper Issue of 1968….

As we celebrate Christmas and New Year’s, we are happy to provide you with the December 20 issue of The Piper. This issue features an interview with Corporal Ed Holcomb, who had just returned home from Vietnam. His letters to The Piper and this interview give us a tiny glimpse into what he must have gone through there, and of course, we were glad he was able to return home.

Also of interest are the articles on pollution!  I had totally forgotten that this was such a big issue back in High School.  Seems we have not learned a thing since then!!

As we are soon to welcome 2019, we are also coming closer to our 50th Reunion in September!  If you have not yet made plans to attend, we encourage you to do so.  We are working on finalizing venues, etc, and will soon be posting more info about our plans for the event, so check this blog often, as well as our Facebook page – McNary Class of ’69.  

Wishing all of you Happy Holidays!!

 

Closing Out 1968….

This issue of The Piper is the next to the last issue of 1968, with the last issue to be published here and on our Facebook page (McNary Class of ’69) on December 20. 

1968 – What a year it was! MLK Jr. and RFK were assassinated; Tet and My Lai; the Smith and Carlos controversy at the Mexico Olympics … on the brighter side, also at that same Olympics, Beaman jumped the longest and OSU’s Fosbury flopped the highest … Cousteau shared his undersea world with us … we watched Earth rise over the moon with the Apollo 8 astronauts … and Corporal Ed Holcomb made it back from Vietnam in time for Christmas! You can read an interview with Ed in the next issue of The Piper.  

November 1968…Counting Down to 1969!

Randy Hledik just sent the next two issues of the McNary Piper and we can see the school year really heating up in terms of activities, awards, and sports events. 

Probably the most significant historical event of our High School years was the Vietnam War. Please take the time to read Vietnam Chronicles (starting in Issue 2) which was written by Corporal Ed Holcomb while he was serving there, giving us a snapshot of what it was like to be in the middle of the fighting and what our troops endured.  Let us be grateful for him taking the time to share his experiences with us and let us also honor his service with our gratitude.  

Enjoy the November 8, 1968 issue of the Piper: