The Message Forum is an ongoing dialogue among classmates. The goal is to encourage friendly interaction, including interaction among classmates who really didn't know each other. Experience on the site has revealed that certain topics tend to cause friction and hard feelings, especially politics and religion. 

Although politics and religion are not completely off-limits, classmates are asked to be positive in their posts and not to be too repetitive or allow a dialog to degenerate into an argument. 

Forums work when people participate - so don't be bashful! Click the "Post Response" button to add your entry to the forum.

David Wier

So did anyone from RHS besides one other (whom shall remain nameless) and I actually camp out and go to the Texas Pop Festival at Lake Dallas (I don't care what they call it now)?

Steve Keene

Dear Friends:

To clarify my response to Tommy, here is the rest of the story as Paul Harvey would say.  Mr. Thomas, Mr. Norton and I took a senior trip to California and when we left San Francisco to go to Los Angeles late at night, we found ourselves in the densest fog that I have ever encountered.  Tommy and Ed woke up to find me still driving 80 mph as the stupid, devil may care, high school senior I was trying to get to LA as fast as I could.  A wiser consensus of driving speed was agreed and we proceeded avoiding a fate that has met some of our classmates before and since that time.

This Christmas I wish we all could remember those we lost and their families in our prayers and in deeds of kindness.  These things could have happened to any one of us on so many occasions where we tempted the fickle finger of fate.  I think those of us that are still here had not completed God's plan for us and as has been eloquently stated before that the foremost of these plans is spreading Jesus' message of the Cross.

May all of you share a very merry Christmas with the most important things: your families, friends and those in need.  And Tommy, a Happy Birthday wish for you on Christmas Day.  I still have fond memories of your wonderful classy parents and the Christmas combo Birthday parties they threw in Jesus' and your honor.

Karin Ridenour (Anderson)

@David       I was there at the Texas International Pop Festival for one day but did not camp out.  Just googled it and read about it: one person died of heat stroke, one baby was born, 80 arrests and 25 of those were for drugs.  Mainly people were scandalized by the naked swimming in Lake Dallas. 

I also remember attending a concert in the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin in 1974 and being tear gased when some nuts threw canisters of tear gas in through a side door.  All that was back in the days of being a wild child and doing several of the things on Lance's bucket list.  In fact, I have done 25 on his list already.

Steve Keene

Lawrence:

Your bucket list number 36:   You must have bought that Will Form at Legalforms.com if you can write it and say good buy. 

My bucket list includes a reunion of the Paper Machine to wrap one more house with Cantor, Bostick, Mulvihill, Herndon, Thomas, Norton, May, Twichell, Barbee, Nahkuntz, Hines, etc.  If I left anyone out it was not intentional, just old age.  We could throw the Karens, Melodys, Melindas, Judyes, Jans, Kathys, Cindys, Joyces, Sarahs, Susans, Lanes, Christines, Hollys etc.names in a hat to see who gets to be the lucky recipient.

Remind me to take canned vegetables to the food bank and clothing to the thrift store so I can say

"Peas and Good Will Towards Men"

Good old Ralph Stolow.  Funniest human being I ever met. I miss him dearly. His picture comes up at Lances link to the movie wearing that eskimo fur hat.  Happy Hanukah in heaven friend, I know you've got em laughing there.

Rick Wilber

Everyone, it is Christmas Eve and I want to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas. Please be careful if traveling and my wish is for everyone to get what they truely want.

Lowell Tuttle

Ditto on the merrys and happys...

Wow, the red headed guitarist from "The Wedge."  What a great Burning Bush act.  And that Texas

Pop festival.   Mike West, Rusty Shields, Dennis Matthews, and I think Pam Roderick and Pam Russell all

together campin at Lake Dallas.  Saturday night 200-300 thousand crammed around the stage, helicopter

circling, landing behind center.  Rusty and myself launched ourselves from the safe area we had staked

out in the heat of the afternoon to the main stage area, pledging to get a look at the prime Saturday night

act, Janis Joplin.  First time I can remember being swolen up by an audence.  She runs out on the stage

with a pint of Southern Comfort shoutin, "Wow, Texas wan't like this the last time I was here."  Then a full tilt

boogie band blowout much to the crowd's satisfaction. 

Afterward, I began thinking about bucket lists and realized I had just completed one.  That had been a lost

summer.

Linda Longacre (Sullivan)

I haven't posted before - but have enjoyed reading the posts when notified.  I moved to Richardson my sophomore year from Joplin, Missouri - quite a shock - and it was so difficult to make friends when friendships were established in grade school and high school.  However, I managed.

Just wanted to wish the entire class a Merry Christmas and happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!  Probably the "heathy" is the most important word as we age.  Right now I'm babysitting my 2 and 5 year old grands in Los Alamos, NM where my son and DIL are working their last half -day at the National Lab before a nice holiday break.  The mountains are snow-topped and it's a gorgeous day!  Hope everyone is as fortunate as I am.  

Linda  

Steve Keene

Was lucky to see Jimi and Janis at tthe same two events.  I remember Hendrix and the band smashing their guitars and one compassionate member of our group lamenting "Kids in India could have eaten those guitars.".

Phil Fielder

I was at this event and we went all three days. I was with a girl from Hillcrest High School Ann Blumberg who is now a sitting judge in Denver. The bands I remember most were Sam & Dave, Chicago and Led Zeppelin. To this day if you come to our house you will a 1968 Rock-Ola Juke Box filled with 80 fortyfives that will remind you of those days and we have another 300 you can go through to bring all the memories of the music of the sixties.

Happy Holidays & Keep Rocking

Lowell Tuttle

Sorry about the double spacing.  I am still using window 3.5 dos software for letter writing.  Never learned not to hit the return tab.  But I do type about 130 a minute.  Learned that at RHS sitting next to Mike West and Spider Sam Duncan.  Was the typing teach the same as the Journalism sponsor?  Went to my church, can't remember.   But I do remember being the guy who got to take off and drive to Garland and pick up the Eagle Talon printed papers each month (or was it weekly...?)

Lowell Tuttle

Yea, Janis Joplin at Gregory Gym for $1.00 if you held a blanket tax....We all lived at Jester, I think, that first year.  Another concert at Gregory Gym was Abbie Hoffman and his lawyer, William Cunsler (sic.)  I went to that also...Think he came about the time of the Kent State stuff, the following May.   Tommy Rueten (Wells) and I both had cars and no parking permits.  There were parking meters downstairs that were 5 cents per 30 minutes and you could put in up to 6 nickels.  I think I had 400.00 in parking tickets my first semester...

Jerry May

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU!

Karlan Fairchild

A message of health, peace, gratefulness, contentment and, by the grace of God, may you be surrounded by loved-ones this Christmas Eve, 2013.

Blessings.

K.

David Grant

Tommy Thomas was a great friend to me from the 1st Grade on.  I rode my bike to his home many times in grade school when he lived on Dumont Drive.  He was a great golfer in hih and that was a sport I was never any good at.  Thanks for your birthday wishes and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

Ken Briegel

David,

I did attend the Dallas Pop Festival. I remember asking my mother if I could go to a rock festival (on the heels of Woodstock) and camp out with my girlfriend. To my amazement she said, " of course you can". For a moment I thought she'd stopped caring about me!

I caravaned up to the concert, Brenda Cox and I in my GTO, Dave Young, Mike Ferguson and their girlfriends in Dave's Baracuda, and I believe David Oliver in his Triumph TR4.

We all thought we were truly free spirits for a few days!  I most remember Chip Monck, (yes that's right), the famous voice if Woidstock. His announcements about bad drugs, skinny dipping, and where to take friends suffering from bad trips were priceless. 

Spmewhere here in the house I have a Dallas Morning News article about the festival. I'll attempt to locate it and post it. 

Ron Knight

Ron Knight - Merry Christmas to all and to all a good ("Knight") night. Well wishes to all my fellow RHS 69'ers for the holidays. Physical and fiscal health for the new year is my request for all. I really appreciate David's hard work along with all of you that have given up your time and talents to make this website happen. Bubba and Tommy Happy Birthday!! Retirement for me here in the mountains of Asheville, NC is peaceful and much cooler in the summer from our beloved Richardson. I love you all and thanks for the memories. God Bless.

Karlan Fairchild

And back atcha', Ron.  I agree with your comment about the website, too, because this had become a wonderful medium to use to contact friends/former classmates.  Enjoy your time in the mountains of NC.

Blessings..

Debbie Mabry

Karlan,

i ditto your message and could not have said it any better. this is in regard to your holiday message.

David Cordell

I, too, attended Lewisville (only one day), Joplin at Gregory, and Hendrix at McFarlin. Janis noted that the last time she was there (Gregory Gym), they didn't treat her so well. She was referring to registration for classes, which was held at Gregory.

Happy birthday to David Grant yesterday and to Tommy Thomas today. To complement their postings above, I am posting below a photo of Mrs. Littrell's 1957-8 first grade class at Heights Elementary, which includes Tommy, David, Holly Hobby (Etta Epstein), and Don Chester, all of whom have posted on this message board. This and other class photos can be accessed by clicking "Old Photos & Clippings" in the left margin of this page. If you can add to our collection of class photos, please contact me.

Ed (Eddy) Norton

Happy Birthday Tommy!

David Grant

Tommy, that hill on Downing Drive was fun.  We would put one person at the bottom of the hill to let us know if it was safe to ride because once you got going you could not stop for any car that maybe coming.  Happy Belated Birthday to you!

David:  Thanks for posting that picture of our 1st Grade Class.  Many memories there.

Don Chester

My goodness what vivid memories everyone has.  Sounds like the music festivals were a lot of fun.

It makes my insecurities and neurosis  worse by not having clear memories of those times.

At UT, I was usually burried deep in the inner sanctum of the AC trying to keep my grades up so I didn't make any of the concerts but did find time to make it to a few football games.

It sounds like everyone had a great time.

I will use this message board as a standard to make judgements about my potential dementia, as long as my cognitive abilities allow me to make proper judgements of the ongoing banter.

David , thanks for the photo, I certainly don't remember that being taken , but goodness that was a long time ago

Happy Birthday Tommy

Back to seeing patients now.

Bob Fleming

David and Tommy

Have read with interesr your mrmories and musings on the Downing Street hill; i lived at 739.  Do you remember the day a lady forgot to put her car in park?  Her car rolled down the hill, across Weatherred, over the curb, down the embankment, and into the creek. Quite a drop-off.  Quite the event too - cops, firemen, tow trucks, and every kid for blocks around.  Good stuff.  Anyone remember fishing at Blue Lake Circle?

Russ Stovall

First house we lived in was on Downing.  Behind. Sun Rexalll, which when we would get an ice storm we would use the alley area as a hockey arena.  Steve Bryant lived across the alley.   The Bryant's moved a short time after we moved in but wasn't far away, because I remember riding my bike to the house.  Steve, Talley, and I Don't remember who else was involved with building a raft to go down the creek.  We put in at Newberry.  It sank about 10 minutes into the Huckelberry adventure.   Fished some at the end.   

Sandra Spieker (Ringo)

Randy & Donna Talley lived next door to us on Newberry.  My sister and I explored that creek behind Thompson many times, all the way to Heights Park.  My sister would also organize all the kids in the neighborhood to perform in plays in our garage.  She would coach us all to sing and dance.  She took all that experience and put it to good use in her adult life, running a puppet theater in her native Holland for children.  Cathy Burrows and I used to ride our bikes to each other's houses, she lived on North Hill. I enjoyed practicing "no hands", going down the hill on my yellow bike. Barry Bennett lived on Thompson Drive, I also remember Janna Parker did too.  I have a photo of me and Ernie Staples collecting Easter Eggs when I was about six years old.  Good times!