Class of 1964 --- as old as Dolly Parton now

Nancy Allen (left), as I recall it, always was the wild child in the Russell High School Class of 1964 --- You just never knew what she was going to get up to next.

Dick Christensen (middle), on the other hand, was the reserved one --- quiet and shy, never giving his parents a minute of worry. They always knew that Dick would be home, safely tucked in his bed, by 9.

Nancy's still at it; causing trouble that is. She called up Dick the other night, reminded him that this is the year for our 50th class reunion, and asked, "Whatcha you gonna do about it?" Dick still lives in Russell and was the easiest to track down.

So Dick called me (bottom), who in the course of a relatively long life has never caused another soul any consternation, always trying to be helpful, and asked what I thought we should do. "How the heck do I know," said I.

We talked about it for a while and decided that we probably should do something, although exactly what isn't clear. They've closed down the old school, so tours are going to be out of the question.

Only 16 of the 18 of us remain --- yes, there were only 18 members of the Class of 1964. But we really liked each other and got along, most of the time; had really great teachers; and had lots of fun, too.

Sadly, Albert Johnson and Sandy Walker no longer are with us.

But we probably can track down the other 13 and see what they want to do.

If you're out there, we'll be looking for you. And if you run into any of them, don't warn 'em --- we don't want runners: Larry Arnold, Jeanette Cochran, Gwen Cottingham, Mike Cremeens, Carol Dawson, Carmen Dorsey, Donna Edwards, Linda Gartin, Pam Johnson, Steve Pierce, Barbara Sibert, Sue Price, David Winsor.

Oh --- maybe I've reversed the characterizations of Nancy and Dick. We all get forgetful, you know, as we get older. Who ever thought we'd be as old as Dolly Parton and Bill Clinton.