I, along with David Walters, offer a special "Thank You" to Bill Hickman for stepping up and taking the lead as the on-the-ground classmate in the planning and execution process for our 45th reunion.

As a retired Navy officer he now recalls the golden rule that he broke--he volunteered, and that means he's now on the hook as the point man for the 50th reunion. Naturally, he'll need some guidance along the way from a couple of retired Army officers (Me and David), but we're confident that we can keep him on course with a minuscule amount of effort.

Seriously, David and I offer our thanks to the entire group of classmates who volunteered and took various initiatives in bringing the reunion to a successful fruition. It was so uplifting to see high school friendships renewed as classmates visited, laughed and recalled some of their favorite forgotten memories. For several hours it was if were we attending a huge family reunion with people mingling with those they'd never met or barely knew in high school. Yet by the end of the evening many new friendships were forged and others re-established.

Each classmate is special in a unique way and that's what makes these gatherings so worthwhile. Now that each of us has reached that "Upper Youth" stage of life our childhood/adolescent freinds are even more meaningful to us than we could have ever imagined decades ago.

Thank You! to all attendees including those from the Norman High School class of 1966, classmates from other NHS graduating classes, spouses of NHS graduates, and accompanying friends for making the evening a positively memorable experience.