PR School

To most of you, this is just a building, a regular, old abandoned school building. To me and my homies, this place holds a million memories, including, but not limited to: ghosts in the bandroom, homemade rolls every day for lunch, torn up knees from the asphalt playground, ‘chills, spills, and thrills,’ and a teacher who was deathly afraid of snakes (No, he didn’t die when he found the rubber snake hidden in his desk, but judging by his reaction, it could’ve easily gone that way.)

Yesterday, my classmates and I, the would-be Pawnee Rock Senior Class of 1977 met at the school for our first gathering since 1974. Our high school was closed and we sadly left this place after 9th grade and attended various high schools in the area.

We’re a small group. From kindergarten to ninth grade, our class size was usually about 20-24.  Kids came, kids went. About 10-12 of us have known each other since kindergarten or first grade.

Rick, who lives way off in Las Vegas, decided it was long-past time to gather the class.  It was so great to see the faces, hear the voices – and the laughter.

Bill’s daughter, Heather, arranged a tour of the school. What a gift that was! (A bank currently owns the building.) Thanks also to Jeanette and Darla and Donna for their work on the reunion.

Eleven of us made it to the event. And we sure missed those who weren’t able to attend.

Back: Craig Smith, Tracy Bright, Bill McCord. Middle: Marilyn Stimatze Murphy, Darla Dirks Clarke, Karla Mead, Cheryl Unruh. Front: Rick Clawson, Gloria Crist Callaway, Donna Smith Boese, Jeanette Ater Corbett.

We honored the two classmates who have died: Rodney Mead and Dianne Clawson.