Reunion News: Cheryl Drane, class of 1980, reports that their 20 year reunion will be held Oct. 14, 2000, at the Tipperary Inn, Skillman and Live Oak. That was Genaro’s hot spot a little after my day and Volk’s Department Store a little before (Okay, I remember it, especially the fish pond and the little old ladies). Cheryl, who is whiz of a Realtor (her e-mail address is HOUSSOLD@aol.com) also made history at SMU where she was one of the first females ever in the Mustang Band. Call her at 214-384-7176.
Speaking of spam, the class of 1970 is also planning its reunion (could that be the 30th?) for Oct. 21, according to the cyber chat at classmates.com. Carol Lewis Paglia, Mary Rutledge-Davis (who also taught at Woodrow in the ’80s and ’90s), Dana Rosenfield and Carol Edwards, have been speculating as to who painted “WW ’70” on top of the smokestack at the White Rock Waterworks, a question I have been contemplating since before the Beatles broke up. I see some new names, Lindy Bond or Hugo Privett. This is getting to be an urban legend. The best bit from those non-acrophobic alums actually comes from Susan Foster ’71. She says she remembers when her sister used to ‘borrow’ their mom’s car, she would first take it to the Raymond Truelove Gulf Station. The full-service station was a fixture at the Southeast corner of Mockingbird and Abrams for nearly 30 years. I got my paper moon-lander there in the summer of ’69, but even better, it was across from THE hangout, Charco’s Drive Inn. Anyway the sister (was that Christy from that ’70 class?) would get Mr. Truelove to disconnect the odometer and then she would return to get it re-connected before she went home!
Also received some time ago, was a report on the Class of ’59 Nostalgia Tea, held late last year. Jan B. Adair reports, “the afternoon flew by and magic prevailed.” Sandra Gage Underhill drove from Nashville, Sandra Phillips Turrentine ejected herself from Edmond, effulgent. Hostesses were Susan Trostel Blockley, Sandra Jones Chambers, Jane Ann Usry Cousins, Mary Margaret Landress Gillett, Gabriela Gruschkas, Jerrisue Barnett Hash, Dawn Dodd Kroger, Jennie Graham Pugh and Bitsy Terry Strong. And, in addition to these lyrically-named ladies was the above Jan B. Adair, the Wild Woman — a.k.a. the Dallas Valentine.
Many of my columns lament the passing of our architectural icons, so if you think I’m too sensitive or non-progressive, read this: I just finished a wonderful art history course at SMU on that ancient art of the 20th century, with the captivating Professor Alessandra Comini. Professor Comini flashed a slide of the Dr Pepper plant on the screen as a definitive example of Art Deco. She then asked the class of young students if they remembered it. I raised my hand and looked all over McCord Auditorium to find only a couple of others. I was at first flagellated by this fact, then flummoxed.
But I then took comfort in driving home by way of the wafting smell of Mrs. Baird’s Bread.
