Betsy Hartman Owens shares some of her stories about going to Elmira for her SHS Class of 1960 40th Year Reunion

After visiting a friend of ours in Buffalo, NY (Bob Vandenburg) who picked us up at the airport (we flew in from Tulsa, Oklahoma where we now live), we rented a car and drove by way of Keuka Lake where I spent my summers, and through Hammondsport, NY. where the wineries are and where Glenn Curtis and his brother were working on an airplane at the same time as the Wright Bros were. They have a museum in Hammondsport dedicated to Glenn Curtis where I bought a mug on our way back to Buffalo.

At Keuka, we went to the store near where my cottage used to be where I used to buy grape Popsicles for 5 cents every day I was at the lake. To my rude awakening I discovered they aren't 5 cents anymore! Ha! Some of you may remember Kenyons, the name of the store but now it is called Froggies and seems a lot smaller and more crowded now. It probably isn't but the block on Beecher St. where I used to live in Elmira seemed shorter than when I was a little girl. I must be taller or bigger. Ha!                                                           

We also stopped in Watkins Glen to eat lunch and then at the Tastee Freeze for soft ice cream where I used to nag my father to stop every Sunday night on the way home from the lake. They even had my favorite flavor - black raspberry! 

It was fun reliving those old memories and seeing Keuka Lake again. I used to think it was "my" lake until I was older and someone woke me up and said "it was mine too". What a great way to spend your summers as a kid. I am very thankful for that.

We retraced the route my parents always took to go to Elmira from the lake and arrived in time for the start of reunion festivities on Friday. The Friday night mixer was fun, and it was good to see old friends. Mostly the same people from the Elmira area were there - you know, the ones who always come to the reunions. It was great seeing them again after 5 years. I even recognized some of them without leaning over to read their name tags.

Our friend Bob Vandenbrgh from Buffalo who had met us at the airport and had driven down with us to Elmira came over to our mixer for awhile with his wife who was already in Elmira, visiting her mom. Even though Bob had attended Note Dame High School, he knew a lot of my friends. since he  had gone to grade school and Jr. High with them. We left at about 11 PM which was too soon but we were tired or at least my husband, John, was. I' m a night person. He is a morning person.

The next day we rode around Elmira. While waiting for my niece to finish working at he Outback Restaurant in Horseheads, we went up to Harris Hill where the gliders take off. They have the Soaring Museum up there! There were lots of gliders flying as it was Saturday and  beautiful though a little cold at 68 degrees. Brrr! Hey, it got down to 40 two mornings and we could see our breath when we went outside. We enjoyed watching the gliders until it was time to pick up my niece from work and go visit her kids at home.

The Elks' Club downtown was the place where the reunion committee had booked our dinner and dance. There were around 130 there. We sure had a good time. I had prime rib and John had pork chops. Our master of ceremonies, Joe Holly, a former NY state Trooper called off names and a couple of the girls handed out SHS tee shirts that said 40th reunion - 2000 in our school colors, green and white. They also gave us a ribbon necklace embroidered with Southside High on it with a hook on it that someone said was for keys. Joe is real funny and we had a good time listening to the things he said. He is now a township justice in Southport.

We have lots of law enforcement alumni in our class with Charles Hooper being Chemung county sheriff and Norm MOrdue a US District Judge there are probably more, Oh yes Art Divore, who I saw in Luv's in downtown Elmira on Monday when eating breakfast with Carol Spencer from our class, is also a retired State Trooper. He looked almost the same as in high school just a few gray hairs and a little less than he had in high school. Wonder what all those legal types means coming from our class. Oh well I don't think I will try to figure it out.

At the dinner we each got a name tag with our senior picture on it so we could remember what each other looked like back then. I have the same hair style now as I did then and some people said I looked the same except now I wear glasses. Ha! Not bragging but I think some people have poor eyesight but don't want to admit it.

See, if people see just my face they might think that I look the same, but when they look at the rest of me below my chin they know I've changed. I weigh quite a bit more(too much) than I did in high school. You know how your metabolism slows down when you get to be our age whether you eat a lot of sweets or not. Ha! I do have a sweet tooth especially for chocolate.

Mrs. Hurley came to our banquet and talked about Mr. Hurley "playing football with the angels the last 16 years". She wanted to know where some of the football players were seated so she could go over and talk to them which she did.

Joe Holly talked about contacting Mr. Pazahanick.. He didn't come, but he should have, because he had a story to tell, which he told Joe about on the phone. Paz remembered a certain young man who was asked the question "Who was Benjamin Franklin and what did he do" and this student said he flew a kite.That was it! Mr. Pazahanick said he started down the aisle to where the student was seated and he stood up like he was going to jump out the window or something because of the look on his teacher's face. Mr. Pazahanick said he wasn't too happy with this student because he had taught him a little more than that about Ben Franklin.

Guess who it was? I don't think anyone remembered. It was Norm Mordue, our famous U S District Judge for the State of NY, who resides in Syracuse and married the sweet Chrissy Peterson former SHS cheerleader, who must have tamed him. I don't remember Norm in any of my classes but heard what a trauma for some teachers he had been. I maintain he was bored in class and they didn't know how to keep him challenged and busy as was the case with one of my children. But, you don't get to the highest court in NY State by being a dummy. It would be very interesting to talk to Mr. Pazahanick now and see what he thinks of that. Memories of Mr. Hurley and Mr. Pazahanick were still strong ones - they were our class advisors.

Then it was time for the door prizes and gifts to those who traveled the longest distance. We were 2nd furthest away and I got an expresso/cappuccino machine. It is really nice. They didn't draw my number for a door prize but that was ok since we had received the other gift. My husband was hoping for a SHS baseball cap as he collects them. Ron Hartman (no relation to me)had fun choosing  the door prizes for the people whose numbers were called . Four of the prizes were big green boxer shorts. John, my husband ,said they were gym shorts but they looked like boxers to me. Ron had one pair left which he had been having trouble giving away when this really shy lady came up .He had just put them on over his slacks to add interest to  the eventual "lucky person" who received them and offered them to her. She just waved her hand at him to go away and went over and picked up a potted plant.

Then our disc jockey played his CD's and some of us danced. Would you believe that people started leaving at about 10:30? I guess we are getting old. It was a great reunion and I enjoyed myself tremendously. I forgot to say we took 3 rolls of film that weekend and I have lots of pictures of people who were at the mixer and dinner.

It was a great trip home and a really great reunion.