Gilbert High School - Roaring Lion Yearbook (Gilbert, WV)

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' I M 1 ii, R y 9 ' 'fe 9 X Q Ml U ' if ff.D5HqOQ!d . , , l lx x' l iw? , c P! -.l..,,..E Xi L' I 4 K 1511!- lt is the year of 1964. Ten long eventful years have passed since the fam- ous class of 1954 of Gilbert High School on that never-to-be-forgotten day of the 16th of May crossed the stage of the Gilbert Theatre where they received their coveted diploma of graduation. Now, the class is having it's first re- union in the beautiful new building that to us was only a dream. How we wish- ed for this new building back in our senior year of 1954 but little did we ex- pect on our return ten years later to find the beautiful structure that we are about to enter. The we refers to Sylvia Walker, secretary of the Depart- ment of Justice, Washington, D. C. and Carol Ann Browning, concert pian- ist in New York, who breathlessly arrived four hours late to this day of re- union activities, that have been so efficiently planned by the homecoming com- mittee who is Bill Peak, city morticiang Don Hatfield, local high school prin- cipalg Evelyn Hatfield, secretary of the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce, and Jean Lester, librarian of our Alma Mater. We were met at the airport by our old friend, Red Dawson, who owns a fleet of taxis from here to the west coast. We hopped in his cab and went tearing down the broad, busy, streets of Gilbert, then up Route 52, until we came to what we remembered as the old Lion's Den. There, near the entrance of that beautiful architectural vision stood two handsome cops directing traffic. We started to go on by but were tapped on the shoulder with a hi-ya, hi-hat , in a familiar tone that could come from no other lips than those of our close pals, Kenton Snodgrass and Harold Noe. On to the big revolving door we dashed but here we paused again, for who else could be standing at the door greeting all the old classmates as they re- turned except that buckin' bronco buckaroo, the one and only cowhand and ranch owner, Raymond Cline. He greeted us with a hi, you all. Glad to see you all after these ten years of wandrinf' 46

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Since we were the only ones who were late, a part of the days festivit- ies were now in progress. We moved on into the spacious auditorium and quietly slipped into a seat unobserved, as the attention of all present was focused upon the breath-taking acrobatic act which was in progress on the stage. Never before had we seen anything quite like it, but we didn't realize that it was a husband and wife team until they returned to a second curtain call and then we recognized them as Opal and Henry Ray Faries. We were about ready to dash backstage and greet them when the cur- tain opened again and we beheld such a great vision of lovliness that we remained glued to our seats. Such breath-taking beauty, such superb poise, such rythmic swaying, as this lovely dancer gave us everything that was new in the modern dance. To us she was our pal, Zella Faye Ellis, but to the world she was the famous lass who only a few weeks be- fore, swam the English Channel. We waved at Zella and wanted very much to run back and offer our congratulations but this time a tall, thin, queer-looking guy came across the stage with a coffee cup in his hand, so we knew right off that it was Foo-Foo , the java drinker of our high school days, who was now Foo-- the Magician , but the things that he pulled out of that coffee cup never saw a Folger's can. As fast as he would pull a rabbit or a chicken out of the cup, here'd come .Terry Hager, grab it up in his arms and carry it off to his meat market. Nothin' slow about that guy! As soon as the entertainment ended, we were summoned to the feast. Such a table of food I've never seen, and there at the head of the table, as master of ceremonies, was one that we remember as the best speaker in class, Ray Bragg, but even with his gift of gab, he didn't have to do any persuasion to get the old gang to break bread together, for if our memory serves us correctly, we were always hungry. Other speeches were given during the dinner by classmates, Charles Matney, principal of Brushy Fork Consolidated School, Mary Pullen, Home Economics Instructor at Justice High School, Doris May, Dean of Girls at Baisden Junior Collegeg and Dorsel -Smith, Professor of Psychology at Glen Alum University. We were delightfully entertained during the dinner hour with a twin-sister act entitled Me and My Shadow by Tina Lou Spence, local policewoman, and her pal, Ellen Totten, matron at the city jail. After dinner, we strolled into the gymnasium, which had been .con- verted into a Winter Wonderland. Icicles hung everywhere, snow lay all over the floor, the windows were covered with frostf but here and there the white stillness was broken by the dark color of an evergreen or a snowbird perched on a window sill. This was our ballroom, a beautiful setting for our homecoming dance. There seated on top of a huge, improvised glacier was Zeke Musick and his Music Masters. We later learned that Zeke was now the band instructor on our Alma Mater, and that he played his trumpet with all his 'heart and soul'. He'd sure come a long way in these ten years, and the old class demanded one encore after another. The dance floor cleared and we knew that some- thing special was coming up. We were rewarded with an acrobatic dance routine, by Louise Thompson and Blonnie Blankenship. At this moment a little excitement occured. Dell Cole, who was Miss Gilbert High of 1954 and who is still a beauty, lost her diamond necklace, but the excite- ment was short-lived as Shirley Collins, F.B.l. woman detected an un- usual sparkle in the snow and found that the necklace had not been stolen as formerly thought, but had fallen from her neck, and lodged in a snow- bank, so the dance was 47