An Appropriate Thanksgiving: A Memory of Lincoln High School

On Thursday November 24, Thanksgiving Day 2011, after enjoying a holiday breakfast with my wife and a friend I settled into an easy chair to perform a daily ritual...Facebook! Message after message of thanksgiving greetings by family and friends far away prompted this short but humble moment of great-fullness!

The photo to the right is hallowed ground for me. A new building now stands on this site, but this one is filled with a rich remnant of youthful excitement. Though the building no longer exists in its former state my classmates and I roam the halls and ramps in our memories, many of which play over and over again and provide us with a plethora of emotion, especially when you mix in a lifetime of experience.

It's a perfect metaphor to say that the transformation of this physical building from what it was to what it is today, is how life goes. Because the same shell doesn't physically exist anymore the way we remember it, it would be easy to conclude the experience no longer matters. That couldn't be further from the truth. What my classmates and I shared from 1965 through 1970 will continue to exist in our hearts and minds, whether we acknowledge it or not, until we take our last breath. Frankly, though it wasn't all kicks and giggles, it was an incredibly educational experience, in more ways than one and I could not imagine it any other way.

The people, many of whom I did not even know because of the large enrollment size of our class and school, were and are phenomenally talented and gifted. I regret not getting to know more of them better. And as I have had the opportunity to look back over the years I have often admired those who were interested and able to remain in touch with each other. What a warm feeling that must provide. Just look at some of the photo's that were taken at various functions and you'll see people who were genuinely happy to be associated with old friends! Can't replace that! I am indebted to every one of them for the contribution they made to the community, we called Lincoln High.

There is no need to belabor the point or the article. You would have had to have been there to appreciate the moments of laughter, silence and the boon and buzz of a school as different in its culture as it was in its architecture. Okay, so maybe that's just in my mind, but it is my mind that remembers there were some really special folks who that cared enough about each other to continue to invest themselves, regardless of the circumstances of the day. Maybe some felt like they had to be there, but I think it's where they wanted to be.

I've had conversations with a few of the principles of Lincoln High School in past years. (Charles H. Williams, Harry Silcox and David Kipphut) Most of those discussions took place while in school there and others since. I would characterize them as...some good, some bad, some congratulatory, some necessary, but all of them essential to growth as a human being.

To this day many of the teachers, coaches and classmates provide me with heartfelt joy because of interaction during a period of great uncertainty. It is because there was a Lincoln High School that I can do today the things I do and even though there is a divide between then and now there will always remain a spirit of thanksgiving because what I was given back then cannot be replaced and I cherish it for its value in my life. A memory doesn't have to be a big thing in order to be meaningful and fulfilling! To all those who were a part of that time and this one too, I say Thank You. May peace always abide in your heart!