RHS CLASS OF 1969
55th REUNION
SOCK IT TO ME ONE MORE TIME!
Hilton Garden Inn
1001 President George Bush Turnpike
Richardson, Texas 75080
972-792-9393
- Friday, October 25, 6:00 p.m. - Come Together!
- Saturday, October 26, 10:00 a.m. - Ceremony of Remembrance
- Saturday, October 26, 6:00 p.m. - Main Event!
Hello RHS '69ers!
Our class is special. Many classmates have known one another since kindergarten and before. In 1969, we graduated and scattered to the four corners of the Earth. Now our classmates are gathering once again to share memories, smiles, and thoughts about our individual treks on this wonderful planet of ours. Our reunion is wheelchair accessible, non-discriminatory, and welcoming. ALL of our classmates and whomever they would like to accompany them are welcome to attend.
Special thanks to our Reunion Planning Committee Co-chairs
David Seidler (sort of in charge)
Tall, formerly skinny basketball player and storyteller. A true legend in his own mind. Sit down a spell and make yourself comfortable.
Karen Kennedy Seidler (really in charge)
RHS Basketball Sweetheart! One of the most emotionally resilient members of our class having been married to David Seidler for more years than she can remember.
Committee Members
Bob Fleming, Laura Kirklen, Faye Mallow Price, Terry Mitchell Reddy, Martha Mize Mareth, Melinda Wallis Campbell, Larry Zeagler.
Reunion Schedule
Come Together!
Friday, October 25, 6:00 p.m.
Hilton Garden Inn lobby
Gather in the lobby of the Hilton Garden Inn on Friday evening. Come and go as you please. Come as you are. No charge. Food and drink are available for purchase.
Ceremony of Remembrance
Saturday, October 26, 10:00 a.m.
Hilton Garden Inn
Join Bob Fleming as he leads our class in recalling memories of classmates who have passed away. We will begin with honoring our Fallen Eagles, followed by sharing memories of RHS, Richardson and the days of our youth. No charge.
The Main Event!
Saturday, October 26, 6:00 p.m.
Hilton Garden Inn
This is the big one. Eat, drink, and be merry while conversing with your classmates and enjoying some quiet classic rock. No big speeches -- sit back, relax, and savor the moment. Dinner buffet. $60. Beer, wine and cocktail tickets will be available for purchase.
REGISTRATION
Click the link at the top of the left-hand menu on this page, but you must be signed in to the website. If you don't remember your sign-in credentials, email davidcordell1951@gmail.com.
We prefer payment via Zelle for efficiency (no dealing with checks) and and cost savings (no card fees). When choosing Zelle, click the "Zelle and check" box, then send your payment in your Zelle app.
Don't know about Zelle? Contact your bank to sign up. If you have an app for your bank, there may be an icon for Zelle in the app. It is a handy way to send funds almost instantly.
To make your payment via Zelle, use the destination address RHSReunion55@gmail.com, which is linked to the class bank account at Prosperity Bank. The app will probably ask if you are sending money to "RHS 1969 in Plano." Answer: Yes.
For checks, pay to "RHS 1969" and send to Phil Dyer, 2629 Rothland Lane, Plano, TX 75023.
HOTEL RESERVATIONS
Contact the Hilton Garden Inn directly and request RHS Reunion rates -- $102 per night including breakfast. 972-792-9393
PRIOR REUNIONS
RICHARDSON HIGH SCHOOL
CLASS OF 1969
50TH REUNION
OCTOBER 19, 2019
Hi, Fellow RHS '69ers:
I’d like to share a few thoughts before Reunion Weekend is too far behind us. We’ll post lots of photos soon.
There are so many people to thank for the success of Reunion Weekend, starting with the Reunion Committee – Brenda Brown Dickey, Phil Dyer, Bruce Gadd, and Cynthia Woodward. Thanks so much for your effort and input.
Our interesting Tour of RHS on Friday afternoon was led by Principal Chris Choat, and we appreciated his insights. I think everyone on the tour was impressed by the physical plant, especially the 80 yard indoor practice facility for the football team and band. The television studio was also very impressive.
The Casual Gathering at the Marriott Courtyard on Friday night was a wonderful success, and everyone had a great time catching up with classmates. Brenda Brown Dickey did a fabulous job staging the event and negotiating all the arrangements and room rates with the hotel. Kudos to Brenda and her team, Janet Veerman Harvey and Cynthia Woodward.
Everyone who attended the Ceremony of Remembrance on Saturday morning was impressed by the way the committee organized the event, and we were all moved by stories of some of our Fallen Eagles. Ron Knight composed and sang a very poignant song in which he shared his feelings about the loss of friends. Some of the anecdotes, as the committee planned, included classmates who are still on this earth. (The highlight was a very funny story that Bobby Fleming, chairman of the event, shared about his comical first date with Nat Beers.)Thanks to Bobby and his committee: Pat Cowlishaw, Valerie Flanders Kirkpatrick, Terry Mitchell Reddy and Sharyn Schreiber Pinney.
Saturday night’s Main Event welcomed over 200 attendees. Thanks to everyone who helped set up, several of whom arrived at 7:00 AM, and everyone who helped with the tear-down. Thanks also to Bob Kirkpatrick for creating a video that was projected all evening long.
Susan Reithner Graham deserves special praise for the Main Event. To be candid, I was out of my depth in planning for that type of event, and I sent an SOS to Sue. She stepped in like the professional event planner that she is. The design and all the decorations were Sue’s handiwork.
Whenever planning glitches came up while Sue and I worked together, there was no drama -- only a brief search for good alternatives. When I suggested something that was ill-advised, she gently, but firmly, explained why we should take a different route. She was the beautiful swan on the pond -- serene on the surface, but paddling like crazy under the surface.
Sue, you’re fabulous. I have never enjoyed working with anyone as much as I enjoyed working with you. I was so pleased with how everything turned out, and it is all because of you.
My appreciation also goes to Sue’s husband Steve Graham, RHS ’68, for sacrificing time with his wife and for pitching in to help, also.
Thanks to those of you who made special donations for our Main Event scholarships and honored guests. We wanted to make sure that no one had to miss this event because of the price, and we accomplished that goal. We also had a sizable donation from Don Chester for the Ceremony of Remembrance and from other classmates who have chosen to be anonymous.
Thanks to Phil Fielder for arranging for the new decorative boulder that is installed on the RHS grounds so students can see it on the way into the building from the parking lot. Thanks also to Steve Healy for his continuing efforts with the EAGLES-in-concrete, and for painting the base of the boulder.
We are also appreciative of John Kyle and his staff at the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center for their hard work, patience, and willingness to try new things as we prepared for the Main Event and the Ceremony of Remembrance. Likewise, we thank the staff of the Marriott Courtyard for their flexibility in working with us on hotel room pricing and hosting the Casual Gathering.
There are many others to recognize for their efforts, and please forgive my oversight if you are one of them.
Finally, I would like to thank every one of the approximately 230 people who attended at least one of our events. No matter the planning, a reunion is not a "re-union" without attendees! So thanks so much to all those who shared this special commemoration of our high school experience.
Personal Comments
I was overwhelmed and gratified by the number of appreciative comments shared with me by so many kind classmates. One particular comment that had nothing to do with me came from one particularly enthusiastic "girl". She explained that, as I understand it, two different people had cleared the air with her of some adolescent disputes that had survived fifty years of adulthood. That story gave me a good chuckle.
Last, and certainly not least, thanks to my Honorary Eagle wife, Martha, who served as my own personal cheerleader and provider of moral support during the long and often stressful period leading up to Reunion Weekend. Sometimes a warm smile and a supportive word is all it takes.
SAVE THE DATES: OCTOBER 18-19, 2019
- Friday, October 18, 4:30 PM - School Tour
- Friday, October 18, 8:00 PM - Casual Gathering
- Saturday, October 19, 10:00 AM - Ceremony of Remembrance
- Saturday, October 19, 7:00 PM - Main Event
Hi, RHS '69ers!
Great News! Mark it down – October 18-19, 2019.
The Main Event on Saturday night, October 19, 7:00-11:00, will be at the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center on the University of Texas at Dallas campus, which is in north Richardson, accessible from Campbell or Floyd. It is the same facility used by the Class of '68 for their Reunion in June 2018.
The entry fee for the Main Event at the 50th Reunion will be less than half of what we anticipated, without any reduction in quality! (Don't ask how! It's magic!) Our goal is $40 per person, compared to the $50 fee the 45th Reunion. More on that, later.
The "official" hotel for the reunion is the Courtyard by Marriott in Richardson. We have arranged for a block of rooms at the Courtyard, which is on Greenville, just north of Campbell (2191 N. Greenville Ave, Richardson, TX 75082, 972-994-9933), at the special rate of ....wait for it.....$69! For those who like to imbibe, it would be a good idea to stay at the hotel even if you live in the DFW area.
To get the special $69 rate, tell them you are with the Richardson High School Class of 1969. (If they balk, tell them to check with Kristi or with operations manager Jessica Dillon.) The rate is valid only for the two nights of the Reunion, October 18 and 19. I suggest making your reservation as soon as possible. They are not requiring payment at the time of the reservation.
The Courtyard has a very nice gathering area near the lobby that is perfect for our Casual Gathering on Friday night, October 18, 8:00 PM to whenever. The Class of '68 also used the Courtyard, and the organizers were pleased with it. We are certain that some classmates will want to gather at the Courtyard after the Main Event for extra socializing.
On Saturday morning at 10:00 we will have a Ceremony of Remembrance that will include two segments. The first segment will honor our Fallen Eagles, those classmates who are no longer with us. We have the names of about 90 classmates who have passed away, but we know that there must be many more deaths that we don’t know about. The second segment will include sharing of memories about RHS, Richardson, and the days of our youth. Bob Fleming is managing the Ceremony of Remembrance event, which will also be at the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center.
Below is a link for a short video of the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center during preparations for the RHS 1968 50th Reunion. Note that the video was made in daytime with the lights on full blast, and that decorations are sparse and incomplete. We'll have lots of decorations and splashes of purple and gold lighting on the walls.
We have also arranged for a School Tour of good ol' RHS on Friday afternoon at 4:30. A lot has changed in 50 years, and it's all for the good!
Click here for Davidson-Gundy Center video
Here is a short video of the gathering area at the Courtyard
Click here for Marriott Courtyard Richardson video
Photos below. We'll send out more notices as time passes. See you there!
45th Reunion
Click here for a Review of the 45th Reunion
October 3-4, 2014
(Photo by Marc Robins Photography) |
Click here for a larger image. |
Click here to find out who is in this photo. |
Click here to open a pdf of the photo with a legend. |
45th Reunion, October 3-4, 2014
I would like to thank everyone who helped with the Reunion, especially Brenda Brown Dickey and Phil Dyer, my two BRFFs—Best Reunion Friends Forever (although they may object to the second “F”). Also, special thanks to Phil Fielder, Tommy Thomas, Lance Cantor, Steve Keene, and Bob Kirkpatrick, all of whom had significant responsibilities for our events. As always, I would like to thank Sandra Spieker Ringo, my webmaster/adviser.
Thanks also to everyone who contributed photos, especially Marc Robins of Marc Robins Photography in NorthPark. Recruited by classmate Billy Hines, who is general manager of NorthPark, Marc took photos throughout the Main Event, even printing photos on site. He took a group photo for us, and he even donated his services! Phil Huber also contributed photos and assisted Sandra with some aspects of posting photographs. Others contributing photos were Tommy Thomas, Karen and David Seidler, and Ruth Wallace Stauffer.
All photos are now posted on the website. You will see our 45th Reunion group photo above, in the middle of the page. We moved the 40th Reunion group photo down on the page. Don’t look too closely at the respective photos for changes in the appearance of some of us! Just assume that we are aging gracefully. To see photos from some of the events, click the link in the left margin: 45th Reunion—2014.
We were very pleased with the 45th Reunion events. (Click here to read the entire review.)
Click here for a Review of the 40th Reunion
September 25-26, 2009
(Photo by classmate Craig Duffy)
Click here for a larger image.
Click here to find out who is in this photo.
Click here to open a pdf of the photo with a legend.
45th Reunion, October 3-4, 2014
I would like to thank everyone who helped with the Reunion, especially Brenda Brown Dickey and Phil Dyer, my two BRFFs—Best Reunion Friends Forever (although they may object to the second “F”). Also, special thanks to Phil Fielder, Tommy Thomas, Lance Cantor, Steve Keene, and Bob Kirkpatrick, all of whom had significant responsibilities for our events. As always, I would like to thank Sandra Spieker Ringo, my webmaster/adviser.
Thanks also to everyone who contributed photos, especially Marc Robins of Marc Robins Photography in NorthPark. Recruited by classmate Billy Hines, who is general manager of NorthPark, Marc took photos throughout the Main Event, even printing photos on site. He took a group photo for us, and he even donated his services! Phil Huber also contributed photos and assisted Sandra with some aspects of posting photographs. Others contributing photos were Tommy Thomas, Karen and David Seidler, and Ruth Wallace Stauffer.
All photos are now posted on the website. You will see our 45th Reunion group photo above, in the middle of the page. We moved the 40th Reunion group photo down on the page. Don’t look too closely at the respective photos for changes in the appearance of some of us! Just assume that we are aging gracefully. To see photos from some of the events, click the link in the left margin: 45th Reunion—2014.
We were very pleased with the 45th Reunion events. (Click here to read the entire review.)
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