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Westbrook ISD holds annual five year reunion
The Westbrook School and Community 5 year Homecoming was held June 18 and 19 on the Westbrook ISD campus. The school building was opened at 8 AM for visitation and registration began at 1 PM. Alumni toured the new buildings at the school, including the teachers’ lounge, new classrooms, new cafeteria and kitchen, and new science lab. Some of them commented on being quite lost, with things looking so different from the school they remembered! Pictures were displayed by year in the cafeteria, where many gathered to reminisce and renew friendships.
A good crowd was on hand to begin the day on Saturday with cookies, donuts, coffee, and punch in the school cafeteria. Registration continued. A catered meal of brisket, beans, and potato salad was served at noon in the old gym by ag teacher, David Bray. The ag students served the meal. The gym and the tables were decorated with sports memorabilia in the Westbrook school colors of blue and white. A corner display in the entry contained a school desk, dunce cap, apple for the teacher, megaphones, pom-poms, and sports uniforms and jackets. Two hundred fifty people were served.
The program began in the auditorium at 2 PM. The program theme was “Decades”, and movie posters from different decades hung in the lobby. The auditorium lobby was transformed into the ticket box at the Palace Theater, a common memory for most in attendance. In the ticket booth, Jazz, the blue Jr. High mascot, sold tickets for the show. The stage depicted a street scene, with pastel murals of the Palace Theater center-stage, flanked by Bella Jane’s and The Dragonfly, representing both the old and familiar and the new and restored.
Randal Petty, class of 1992, was the Master of Ceremonies, and he gave the welcome and got the program off to a great start. John Bullock, class of 1949, gave the invocation and then sang the national anthem, accompanied by Tracy Feaster.
New WISD principal, Cassie Petty, Mandie Hale, and Katy Forbes kicked off the program with the hilarious skit, “What Did You Say?” Then the Clawson Family, Dwayne Clawson, class of 1951, LaRue Findeisen, class of 1954, Louise Miller, class of 1948, Sybil Sparks, class of 1941, Laveral Sullivan, class of 1962, and Douglas Miller, sang “I’ll Fly Away”, “Just a Little Talk with Jesus” and “If We Never Meet Again”.
Next was a skit called “Paws and the Cheerleader Tryouts”. Paws (Jaime Rich White, class of 1997) was preparing for tryouts when Drake Thurman, class of 2008, Jordan Truelove, class of 2007, Michael Bray, class of 2011 , and Dustin Luttrull, class of 2006, showed up to try out for cheerleader. After adismal demonstration of talent (or lack thereof), Paws made a “clean sweep” of the “girls”, but was left with no good cheerleader prospects. The day was saved when “Cuties” Katie Forbes and Reagan Hale showed up to cheer. Yea!
In the next skit, Ray Stevens’ “The Streak”, Paws the Wildcat Mascot became The Streaker, and decided to leap from the stage. She leapt, landed, limped, and it was soon apparent she had hurt herself. We were dismayed to hear after a trip to the emergency room in Colorado City, that she had broken her heel! This was by far the most dramatic part of the program.. and Jaime promises, no more leaping off stages! She is on the mend and feeling better, and to her we say, “Heal that heel!”
Judy Beasley presented the classic song, “Love Can Build a Bridge”, and then Cassie Petty and Mandie Hale performed another funny skit, “Dang Kids!”, which all of us old geezers really identified with! Linn White, WISD teacher, sang “You Needed Me”, and then was joined by Judy Beasley for a beautiful duet of “All I Have to do is Dream”.
We then returned to “those thrilling days of yesteryear” with a skit of the Ray Stevens classic, “Along Came Jones”. Drake Thurman (class of 2008) “plopped down in his easy chair and turned on channel 2” to watch as dastardly Salty Sam (Jordan Truelove, class of 2007) tried to take the ranch away from Sweet Sue (April Chambers Luttrull, class of 2001). But his schemes were always spoiled when “Along Came Jones” (Dustin Luttrull, class of 2006) just in time to save the day!
Eddie Ranne turned the mood nostalgic when he sang the Beatles classic hit, “In My Life”, accompanied by his nephew, Tracy Feaster. This was the perfect prelude to the powerpoint presentation of nostalgic slides showing students, teachers, and administrators through the decades at Westbrook ISD. The powerpoint was set to music appropriate to the depicted decades.
Awards and recognitions were made by Emcee Randal Petty. The awards and recipients included “Earliest Student”, Lecroy Clifton, “Earliest Teacher”, Mary Julia Ruddick, “Longest Employed Staff Member”, Mary Ann Lopez, “Farthest Distance Travelled”, Sue Bell Sengstock (Southern California) and “Most Recent Graduate”, Hannah Berber (2010).
Randal Petty thanked everyone for coming and wished them safe travel home, then the program was concluded with the Westbrook School Song, led by Eddie Ranne, and accompanied by Frances Ranne.
Activities continued into the evening as the close-knit 60’s classes met for their traditional get-together at Choppy Rees’s barn. They had fun, food and fellowship as they listened to Larry Mac Bell’s famous 60’s music collection!
The street dance began at 7:30 in the Westbrook City Park, and, thanks to a propitious cloud bank, the weather was hot, but tolerable. The evening cooled quickly into a beautiful one, with an outstanding West Texas sunset, a pleasant end to a very pleasant day. Terry Anderson, former WISD student, brought the band from the Cowboy Church in Gardendale to play for the dance. Alumni, friends, and family relaxed in their lawn chairs, enjoying the breeze, the music and the visiting, while the more ambitious attendees “scooted boots” on the new 20 X 30 foot concrete slab, dusted liberally with cornmeal for increased “scootability”. Waltzes, Western Swing, Christian C & W, and the quintessential Texas favorite, “Cotton-Eyed Joe” floated out across the evening air.
All in all, it was a very busy and fun-filled weekend at “The Brook”. One 2002 WHS graduate, at his first Homecoming, (who will remain nameless), was heard to exclaim, “Gee, this is fun! I did not know what I have been missing!” This was a very satisfying comment to a very tired but happy Homecoming Committee! Time to rest, just 4 years, 352 days until next time! See you in 2015!
At a glance
WISD 5 year reunion
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