Tommy Emmons

1422 Mentor Street is where Chris Allan Stoehr lived when we were both in Clara B. Oliver elementary school. His house was about 12 blocks from my house. Being gone all day during the summer at his house and playing baseball, basketball, football, etc. was a common thing; too bad the children today will never experience the freedom and age of innocence that we had. On the way there I passed by the houses of Donna Bunyard, Vicki Cook, Barbara Florence, Bobby Garland, and Larry Walters among others. I wonder today, where are these people and how are they doing.

When I was in Boude Storey junior high, I had a paper route that took me all over the neighborhoods near home. I knew where most of my friends lived. I can remember so much about them and that time in my life, but can’t remember what I did yesterday. Danny Kaumeyer, Shannon Morehouse, Larry Eastus, Nita Casey - where are they and how are they doing.

At SOC, I made more new friends from Zumwalt and Holmes junior highs. As I think back to that time, I realize that I have never had so many friends as during that time of my life.

When I see these people at a reunion, I ask the usual questions, ‘how are you?’, ‘what are you doing now days?’, ‘what are your kids doing?’, etc., but what is in my mind is the memories that come back from when we were kids and the things we did together. Not all of our friends will be there. For me, my best friend, Frankie Loyd, will not be there, but I still think about the good times we had together in high school and college. The people I will see at the reunion will lift my spirits and make me remember what a good life I have experienced. The people at the reunion are a great part of those memories and I treasure them. Renewing old friendships, remembering old times, that is what the reunions are to me.

Tommy Emmons