Stephen F Austin

WELCOME

 Welcome to the Stephen F. Austin Class of 1959 website. This website was created to promote, celebrate and reconnect all the classmates of the Stephen F. Austin class of 1959. Your participation is essential for this website to be a success.  We hope you enjoy the site and check back often for updates.

Vernon Gomez (SFA Class of 1961) sent a picture of Linda Cobb taken shortly before her death. How timely as  (March 6) is the anniversary of her death. To view this picture, click here. I know so many of you were her good friends. Won't you please take a few minutes to share your favorite memory of her on the Memory Page?

Prayer Concerns

Please remember Paula Kirby Taylor in your prayers--she is battling lung cancer since around October 2009. She has undergone multiple chemo and radiation treatments. The last report was that the cancer was in semi-remission (hopefully) but she is now undergoing radiation treatments on her brain as a precaution to keep the cancer from spreading there. Paula is a trooper, she is still witty and upbeat. She loves life and is trying hard to buy more time to be here. Please keep the prayers for her rolling and don't let up. Send her a card or call and let her know you care. Address: 2907 Private Rd. 4160, Marquez, TX 77865. Phone: (903) 529-1086

Always remember to pause the Playlist at the bottom before playing any of the videos. 

 

 

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, Margaret Carpenter has agreed to share some pictures when she lived and studied in Ireland. 

 

This photo was taken of me with Seamus Heaney, one of the Irish poets who were subjects of my dissertation. We were standing outside the church at Drumcliff, near Sligo, just after the opening ceremonies for the Yeats International Summer School. Yeats (a Nobel Prize winner for literature) is buried in the churchyard. At that point, Heaney had not yet won it himself, but he did soon after. I met Heaney first at SMU and reconnected with him several times on other visits to Ireland.

This is the waterfall at Glencar, just outside Sligo. Yeats mentioned it in several of his poems.

This is of Cliffs of Mohr, which we visited 3 times before we we got to see them (They are often shrouded in fog.)

This was taken in County Sligo, not far from the "Lake Isle of Innisfree".

In the distance you can see Benbulben, not far from Drumcliff. Yeats requested to be buried "under bare Benbulben" and he was.

This shows a traffic jam in the west of Ireland.

This is a building in County Wicklow.

Here I am with a statue of another Irish poet, Patrick Kavanagh, in Dublin.

Thank you Margaret for sharing these beautiful pictures of Ireland.

THINK SPRING!!! 

Since June 20, 2009 we have had 5213 visitors to our Home Page

Name the Classmate

If you can correctly name the above classmate, please send your guess to sandersletbetter@suddenlink.net. All who guess correctly will have their name put in a drawing for a $25.00 gift card to Target. 
The drawing will be held on St. Patrick's Day.
The luck of the Irish be with ye.

A fun website to visit. It will show you where you grew up as it looks now...just enter the correct address, City, State, Zip Code and be amazed. When you enter an address you will see a picture of that place. There's a little man on it-you can move the little man up and down the block if you need to. Please go to www.vpike.com. Margaret Carpenter told me about this creative site.

 Brenda Brown has added some photos from our past on her profile. Check them out. Let her know what you think.  Click here to go to Brenda's Profile

Remember to keep Dee, Judy, Nelda, and Paula in your prayers!!

McGown Project: Lone Star Honor Flight 

(Click on the Our Veterans Page, then on Lone Star Honor Flight PDF at the top of the page)

FEATURED PHOTO FROM THE PAST

Crockett School, 4th Grade
Submitted by Lanny Burkhalter

Teacher: Miss West
Principal: Cecil Nabors

First Row, left to right: Margaret Carpenter, Ray Belcher, Robert Moore, Jack Connor, Lanny Burkhalter, Travis Sellars, Unknown, G.W. Russell, Frank Bravenec, Linda Restivio

Second Row, left to right: Pat Williams, Loretta (?), Sandra Grady, Rena Murphy, Pat (?), Lynda Ball, Norma Kindt, Janice (?), Wanda Tuttle

Third Row, left to right: Eddie (?), Tommie Daniel, Hugh Seale, Thomas Riley, Kenneth McFarland, Willie (?), Glenn Gregg, David McCormick, John Smith, Wayne (?)

Again, if you know any that we have not named, your help will be appreciated. 
John Smith provided me with Travis Sellars name. He said he moved to Palestine in the 6th grade. John also gave me Allen Meyers name for the picture that Eddie Daniel sent of his 4th grade class. Allen's dad was in the military going to A&M and only lived here a couple of years. Thank you John for the names and the information.
 A larger picture is available in our Class Scrapbook near the bottom of the page.

FYI

 BuddyWinn will be in a run off for State Representative District 14.

New things are added to the website frequently. Please check back daily to see what is new.  

 Prayer Concerns Link. If you have any prayer concerns for yourself, family, or friends, please click on the Prayer Concerns Link to post them. These can also be requests for unspoken prayers. Also if you have praises, they can be posted here. 

"Young At Heart"
By Lynda Ball Wallace

2010? Did 1959 end?
Didn't "The Bunny Hop" just begin?
Listen, we can still hear "Rock Around The Clock".
We're still having fun at the gym sock hop.

No, you're wrong the years haven't passed
Chuck Berry's still playing loud and fast.
Go, go, go "Johnny Be Good" hear the beat?
Little Richard's singing, beat turns to heat.

"Good Golly Miss Molly" you're wrong, not '59??
Remember our motto-the class that's mighty fine?
Sisters, blood brothers, all for the green and white,
Bryan High School, yeaaaaa Broncos fight, fight, fight!

We'll jitterbug our way through life.
We'll spin and spin through "Mack The Knife".
Our musical pathway will never end
Like "The Great Pretender" let's still pretend.

But wait, stop the spinning put up your pink and black,
"Wake Up Little Susie" it's tomorrow don't two-step back.
Take off your "Blue Suede Shoes" turn the jukebox down,
Blow out your "16 Candles"-Reunion's coming to town.

Yes, 2009 came around just 50 short years ago.
Some wrinkles, same smiles, that man I think I know.
Well, "Hello Mary Lou" in homeroom I sat by you.
Was she that tall, was I that short, need our yearbook to 
review.

Don't get "All Shook Up" because we're another year older,
Wipe that tear, smile "Put Your Head On My Shoulder".
Since high school days through all these years classmates
together,
Friends past and present, friends near and far, but 
friends always forever.

Okay, we'll finally admit Elvis is no longer a hit.
So, "Come Let's Stroll" into 2010. It's now time to get
"Party Doll" to slow dance awhile, catch her breath,
cool down a bit.

But when New Year begins, record spins, time again to
"Shake, Rattle And Roll" it!

 If you'll notice on the Classmates Profiles page, many of our classmates do not have "gold stars" by their names anymore. Remember peer pressure? When the teacher would post names on the wall and place gold stars by the names of overachievers?? Go check out that page to see if you still have a gold star by your name. If you don't, that means you haven't updated your profile in SIX, count them 1-2-3-4-5-6 months. Now get busy and update those profiles before you begin receiving harassing e-mails.

Remember to pause the Playlist before viewing the videos.

Pictures!! Do you have a box of old school pictures tucked away somewhere? Pull them out and share them. A friend once said to me, "What good are photos if you can't share them?" We need YOUR photos, updates, and memories to enhance this site and to make certain it represents ALL of the members from the S.F.A. class of 1959. Even if you haven't attended a reunion, nor kept in touch at all since graduation, we ask that you please take the time to send us an update and maybe even a photo or two. We're certain your fellow classmates would love hearing from you! You may even reconnect with an old friend! Your submissions will make this site fun, interesting and complete. So, add your own personal touch and see what happens!"
I'm sure a lot of pictures were taken over the holidays, if you have any you would like to share, add them to your profile or e-mail them to me. Don't forget to list the names of everyone in the pictures.

Please take a few minutes to visit the "In Memory" section. It would be great if you could add any personal stories about our classmates who have passed away. 

If you are interested in reading our local newspaper The Eagle, click here.

You can also check our local television station, KBTX by clicking here.

What's Happening in B/CS

March 2010

March 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Community Chamber Concerts presents pianist Jose Feghali at the Bush Conference Center. This concert is free and open to the public. For more information call (979) 696-7410 or visit www.communitychamberconcerts.org.
 

March 13 at 10 a.m.
The Texas A&M Equestrian team takes on the New Mexico State at the Arena. All A&M Equestrian events are free and open to the public. Visit BrazosCountyExpo.com for more information.
 

March 18 at 7 p.m.
The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum presents Issues Forum: Bobby Koch, who will speak on the California wine industry. Koch is the president and CEO of the Wine Institute and is married to President Bush's daughter, Dorothy. To make reservations for this free event, call (979) 691-4014.

March 19-21

The Theatre Company presents Taking Liberty, a new musical written and directed by the Theatre Company's own Randy Wilson, based on the life of Aaron Burr, hero of the American Revolution and our country's third vice-president. Performances are Friday and Saturday nights at 7 p.m., and Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. Tickets are available online at www.theatrecompany.com, at the Arts Council, 2275 Dartmouth St., College Station, or at the Box Office. For more information, call the Arts Council at (979) 696-2787

March 21 from 3 p.m. until 9 p.m., Escamilla Restaurant hosts the Gran Jaripeo Rodeo at the Arena. Tickets will go on sale early March. Visit BrazosCountyExpo.com for more information.

March 22-23 at 7:30 p.m.

MSC OPAS presents 100 Years of Broadway. For tickets and more information, call (979) 845-1234 or visit www.mscopas.org.

March 23 at 6 p.m.

Texas A&M University Veterinary Medicine presents An Equine Evening at the Expo at the Exhibit Hall. This event is hosted by the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M. Contact Galen Pahl at GPahl@cvm.tamu.edu for details.
 

TWO WOLVES

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.
"One is Evil-it is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity
guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

"The other is Good-it is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather:
"Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

A mouse looked through
the crack in the wall
to see the farmer and his
wife open a package.

"What food might this 
contain?"  The mouse
wondered.
He was devastated to 
discover it was a
mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard,
the mouse proclaimed
this warning:
"There is a mousetrap in
the house!
There is a mousetrap in
the house!"

The chicken clucked and
scratched,
raised her head and said,
"Mr. Mouse,
I can tell this is a grave concern
to you,
but it is of no consequence to
me.
I cannot be bothered by it."

The mouse turned to the pig
and told him,
"There is a mousetrap in the
house!
There is a mousetrap in the
house!"

The pig sympathized, but said,
"I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse,
but there is nothing I can do about it
but pray..
Be assured you are in my prayers."

The mouse turned to  the cow and said,
"There is a mousetrap in the house!
There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry
for you,
but it's no skin off my nose."

So, the mouse returned to the house,
head down and dejected,
to face the farmer's mousetrap
...Alone...

That very night
a sound was heard throughout the house
--the sound of a mousetrap catching its
prey.

The farmer's wife rushed to see what was
caught.
In the darkness, she did not see it.
It was a venomous snake
whose tail was caught in the trap.

The snake bit the farmer's wife.
The farmer rushed her to the hospital.

When she returned home she still had a
fever.

Everyone knows you treat a fever
with fresh chicken soup.
So the farmer took his hatchet to the
farmyard
for the soup's main ingredient:

But his wife's sickness continued.
Friends and neighbors
came to sit with her
around the clock.
To feed them,
the farmer butchered the pig.

But, alas,
the farmer's wife did not get well...
She died.

So many people came for her funeral
that the farmer had the cow slaughtered
to provide enough meat for all of them
for the funeral luncheon.

And the mouse looked upon it all
from his crack in the wall
with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear
someone is facing a problem
and you think it doesn't concern you,
remember---

When one of us is threatened, we are all at 
risk.
We are all involved in this journey called
life.
We must keep an eye out for one another
and make an extra effort
to encourage one another. 

So, to everyone who has ever
helped you out...

Let them know 
how important they are.

-REMEMBER-

Each of us is a vital thread
in another person's tapestry.
Our lives are woven together
for a reason.

One of the best things to hold onto
in this world is a FRIEND.

Submitted by Marcia Ransom

Always remember to forget the troubles that pass your way. BUT NEVER forget the blessings that come each day.

It's funny how friends can
come in and out of your life so quickly,
yet leave footprints and memories
in your heart forever. 

Your administrator hard at work.

Keep scrolling down, more to come.

David Winningham is sharing pictures he took on his trip to Costa Rica.
Click here to view David's photos.

  The Message Forum is always open, come on in and join us!

Site Administrator: Esther Norcross

Class Poet: Lynda Ball

Technical Advisor: Shelby Fritsche
Taylored Ideas

   
If you haven't created your profile yet, we are missing you. Please take a few minutes to do so. If you know of a missing classmate, please tell them about the site.

 May each day in the week be a good day
May the Lord always watch over you
And may all of your hopes turn to wishes
And may all of your wishes come true
May each day in the month be a good day
May you make friends with each one you meet
And may all of your daydreams be mem'ries
And may all of your mem'ries be sweet
The weeks turn to months and the months into years
There'll be sadness and joy, there'll be laughter and tears
But the one thing I pray to heaven above
May each of your days be a day full of love
May each day in the year be a good day
May each dawn find you happy and gay
And may all of your days be as lovely
As the one you shared with me today
May each day of your life be a good day
And good night.