SCHOOL TOUR (Part 2)

Twelve of us (plus spouses) showed up for the tour of the school on Saturday morning. Left to right: Myra McCammon, Mary Ann Mertz, Susan Roetter, Bev Caesar, Randy Moser, Norma Buckwalter, Pete Bird, Patti Flanigan, Doris Stump, Sam Stutz, Connie Daupert and Ruth Ann Parish.

Myra McCammon Leap found a photo of her mom, and Susan Roetter Melvin spotted her dad in class pictures of every graduating class from Pike High School. This was rewarding for us all, and gave us a sense of pride for loved ones who led the way through the annals of Pike history. Ruth Ann Parish (pictured below), Susan and Myra's childhood friend, knows both of these Pike alumni very well. The planners have done an extraordinary job of preserving history in this new school.

Bev (Caesar) Moser found her little brother's (Chuck Caesar) picture on the Wall of Fame, an impressive display of athletes who have earned honors throughout the years.

We all wanted to know what happened to our old pool, one of the first of its kind in a central Indiana high school back in 1965. With the new buildings erected around all four sides of our old school, the pool was "relocated" to an exterior wall. We were all holding our breath a little to see what this one might look like, and it was even more spectacular than our old one. Some of us even got down on our knees to snap some pictures of the new natatorium.

The choir and band rooms were first class, but what really caught our eye was this music composition lab, with 30 keyboards hooked up to computers. The students in this school are so fortunate to have such leading edge technology at their fingertips.

And though we never got to see the new planetarium, our guide, Tim Friend, saved the best for last. The new Performing Arts Center, which replaced our wonderful auditorium, literally made our jaws drop. This facility rivals Clowes Hall and just about any other facility in America. Take a look! We all did.

The Reunion Committee took one last pause at the huge new Pike seal, which greets visitors to the school. Thanks for a great two-hour tour, and some memories that will remain with us for a long time.

The New Pike High

Tim Friend (yellow striped shirt), a teacher and member of the Pike Alumni Association, graciously took 2 hours of his weekend to show us through the old and the new sections of Pike High School. There was very little that is still recognizable from our four years in the facility. This is the new entryway to the school.


Rising above us in the spectacular entryway were flags from every nation where current Pike students were born. It was both impressive and awe-inspiring, and shows how truly diverse our old "cornfield" school has become.



Yet, as progressive and modern as the new school has become, there is a rich sense of history evident throughout the buildings. Murals like this one picturing the first structure, then known as New Augusta High School (circa 1909), adorned hallways throughout the facility. Somehow, it felt like we were once again back in Sarge Reese's or Mrs. Brandt's classroom, learning about our heritage.


And then we spotted the mural picturing the old Pike High School that so many of us attended as 8th Graders. Wow! How the memories began to flood back to us. For those of you who couldn't make the morning tour or the Reunion, hopefully, these photos will help rekindle a few memories that were created at Pike. Thanks to Pete Bird for these great photos from our tour. I will post more for you this weekend.
Randy Moser

Commencement means beginning

Silhouetted against the fading sunlight, two Pike graduates (John Overman and Christy Morris) pause for a brief moment of reflection of the past few years at Pike High School and what the future may hold for them. The time flies by all too quickly, as we now realize, so when we get a second chance to recreate amd reminisce, it often seems even more crucial than the first time. Pike High School was never the same without the Class of '69 -- just as it will never be the same again without the recently graduated Class of '09. So hold on to your memories, create some new ones, pretty one last time that you are pulling into the lane at Pike High School...


This is my final blog entry before flying to Indy for the 40th Reunion Party. It has been my genuine pleasure to share these precious keepsakes from the past with all who have followed this website. Who knows; if you keep sending me old photos and mementoes, maybe I can keep the website going in the future. If you missed the Reunion for some reason, make sure to return to this blog page next week, when we will begin posting photos from the party.

Best wishes,

Randy Moser

AH, GRADUATION...FINALLY

With Graduation finally here, class members exhibited a variety of emotions to the end of one era and the beginning of the next. Susie Roetter and Gary Wright lead the Class of '69 into the gym as class Salutatorian and Valedictorian.


Mile Wilfley nervously makes a last-minute adjustment to that tricky cap and tassel.


Sandy Enmeier, Mary Lou Sigman and Carolyn Cartwright celebrate finally making it through commencement.

In a rare but wonderfully rewarding moment, Nanette Pritchard accepts her diploma from her father, who served as a long-time member of the School Board.

And finally, Myra McCammon and Norma Buckwalter suddenly realize that their high school experience at Pike is now officially over.

What Have You Been Doing?

Lucinda (Burrows) Veeck Gosden

(Editor's Note: Though technically a member of the Class of '68, many of you have asked about Lucinda, and she has helped us a great deal with the video presentations for our 40th Reunion on Saturday.)

I am married to Roger Gosden, with two sons (Alan and Jay), seven grandchildren (Emily, Charlie, Henry, Joseph, Alayna, Adrian and Cameron). I have two stepsons (Matt and Tom), who live and work in the UK. All have visited us during the past month.

I work in New York, with primary homes in Williamsburg, Va. and the mountains of West Virginia. I have a Doctorate of Science from Eastern Virginia Medical School (Norfolk), and I serve as Director of Embryology at Cornell University Medical School in Manhattan, NY. I am taking piano lessons (exceedingly bad student) and I am healthy and happy. And, I plan to retire next year!

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST 40 YEARS?

CATHY (GREELEY) JENSEN

Cathy (Greeley) Jensen, Psy.D. resides in Pennsylvania with her husband, Paul. They have lived throughout the United States and Europe for the past 25 years. Cathy earned her Masters Degree of Pastoral Counseling, and subsequently, her Doctor Degree of Psychology from the Graduate Theological Foundation in South Bend, Ind. She holds a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Pastoral Life and Administration from Loyola University, New Orleans, Louisiana. She studied Theology at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

In her quest to find deeper meaning and spiritual understanding, Cathy embraced the writings of Viktor E. Frankl. In 2009 she earned her Diplomate credential from the Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy. For numerous years, she worked with the Dept. of Defense serving soldiers and their families as both educator and pastoral coordinator. While completing her Clinical Pastoral Education, she was an interdisciplinary team member for trauma and palliative care, in addition to serving as chaplain for cardiac and heart failure units. You can contact her by email at catherinejense@aol.com

WE HAD PLENTY OF SPIRIT !

No matter what the sport, the obstacle or activity, one thing you could always count on at Pike was the spirit and the support of your fellow classmates. And, after all was said and done, we were ALWAYS proud of the effort from our Red Devils. We may have been small back then, but we were united in spirit and pride.