AS CAROL AND KENNY AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS REUNION FOR THE PAST 6 MONTHS OR SO - MY MIND JUST KEEPS GOING BACK TO ALL THE THINGS THAT I HAVE EITHER REMEMBERED- THOUGHT I REMEMBERED- OR THINGS THAT I KNEW HAPPENED BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW THAT MANY TIMES  - BY THIS STAGE OF THE GAME WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED AND WHAT WE PERCEIVED TO HAVE HAPPENED DON’T ALWAYS COINCIDE-  BUT..........I DIGRESS

THERE ARE LITTLE BUNCHES IN THIS ROOM THAT HAVE KNOWN EACH OTHER SINCE THE DAY THEY ALL STARTED KINDERGARTEN-

THEN THERE ARE LITTLE BUNCHES THAT BECAME BEST OF FRIENDS WHEN WE WERE ALL THROWN TO THE LIONS AT FRANKFORT JUNIOR HIGH .......AND TOLD WE WERE FALCONS- (BEING TOLD THAT)-WHILE AT THE SAME TIME- FACING EVERY DAY THE 5 OR 6 16-17 AND 18 YEAR OLDS THAT WERE TO BE CONSIDERED CLASSMATES-BUT LOOKED AND ACTED LIKE OUR PARENTS

HOW MANY OF YOU HERE TONIGHT CAN REMEMBER .............

OBI THOBINK HABE WOBANTS TABO GABO OBOUT WOBITH YABO??

SOME OF YOU WILL THINK I AM HAVING A CRANIAL HEMORRHAGE- WHILE A SMALL BUNCH OF YOU WILL REMEMBER THAT WE HAD OUR OWN LANGUAGE CALLED OB - THAT WE SPOKE EVERY EVENING OVER A CHERRY OR VANILLA COKE AT THE STAR CAFETERIA-
YES THE STAR NOT THE CAMPUS- COKES WERE CHEAPER AT THE STAR AND IF MY FATHER CAUGHT ME AT THE CAMPUS CASTLE - HE PROMISED ME AN EARLY DEATH.

WE STARTED THROUGH THOSE CHANGES - (AS IT WERE) BIG TIME WHEN WE STARTED JR HIGH - WE HAD BEEN THIS LITTLE FORCE OF FEW FROM 5 DIFFERENT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS THAT NOW HAD TO LEARN HOW TO TRY TO BE A FORCE OF ONE TO MAKE IT IN THIS HORRIBLE HORMONE RAGING TIME OF LIFE WE ALL LIKE TO CALL TEENS---- WHILE AT THE SAME TIME TRY TO MAKE A FEW NEW AND CLOSE FRIENDS TO CARRY US THROUGH TILL THE 7TH GRADE WAS OVER - OR ---WE LOST OUR FEAR OF GOING THROUGH THE TUNNEL WHICH EVER CAME FIRST-

BY 8TH GRADE - MAN WE WERE ON A ROLL - MORE CHANGES HAD TAKEN PLACE - MANY OF US HAD FORMED FRIENDSHIPS THAT - IF HAD NOT FOLLOWED US FROM ELEMENTARY - WOULD FOLLOW US TO THIS VERY NIGHT TONIGHT.

BY THE TIME WE HIT 9TH GRADE - WE WERE READY FOR ANYTHING UNTIL..................MAN..........NOW WE GOTTA GO TO THE HIGH SCHOOL AND BE UNDERCLASSMEN.

MORE CHANGES

THOSE CHEERLEADERS AND THOSE BASKETBALL AND FOOTBALL PLAYERS AND THOSE TRACK RUNNERS AND THOSE FIRST CHAIR BAND AND ORCHESTRA AND CHOIR MEMBERS WHO HAD CLAWED THEIR WAY TO THE TOP BY THE 9TH GRADE NOW FINDING THEMSELVES BACK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HEAP TO START ALL OVER AGAIN

BUT

SOMEHOW WE ALL MADE IT ....TO THE SENIOR YEAR AND THEN IT WAS GONE IN A FLASH ..........

ALL THAT I THOUGHT I KNEW WAS RUBBISH AND MOST NOT EVEN TRUE - AS I WOULD FIND OUT IN THE NEXT 5 YEARS OF MY LIFE - FORGETTING FOR QUITE A WHILE THOSE YEARS AND DAYS AND TIMES IN FRANKFORT AND ONLY THINKING ABOUT MY FUTURE.

NOW HERE WE ALL ARE 30 YEARS LATER............

AND MAN WHAT CHANGES HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN THOSE 30 YEARS.  ONLY IN THE PAST 10 YEARS HAVE I FOUND OUT HOW MANY OF THESE CLASSMATES WERE GOING THROUGH THE SAME KINDS OF FAMILY THINGS I WAS GOING THROUGH BUT NONE OF US EVER TALKED ABOUT IT TILL WE HAD GOTTEN THROUGH AND EVEN IN SOME CASES BROKEN SOME CHAIN LINKS TO BE THE WISER AND STRONGER AND MORE AT PEACE ADULTS THAT WE HAVE TURNED OUT TO BE.

I AM PROUD TO BE A MEMBER OF THE CLASS OF 1972 AND I AM PROUD OF MY CLASSMATES - NEVER HAVE I BEEN SO EXCITED AS WHEN I READ THE 20 YEAR CLASS MEMORY BOOK THAT CAROL PUT OUT THAT ASK YOUR BEST ACCOMPLISHMENT IN THE PAST 20 YEARS AND HOW MANY OF YOU SAID - GIVING YOUR LIFE TO JESUS CHRIST

I WATCHED AN OLD DESIGNING WOMEN EPISODE NOT LONG AGO WHEN SUZANNE SUGARBAKER WENT TO HER CLASS REUNION AND WAS VOTED THE MOST CHANGED-

THEY VOTED HER THAT BECAUSE SHE WAS EXTREMELY FAT AT THE TIME AND IN HIGH SCHOOL SHE HAD BEEN BEAUTIFUL AND SLIM- WHEN SHE ACCEPTED THE AWARD SHE SAID THAT SHE WAS FLATTERED TO GET THE AWARD OF THE MOST CHANGED CAUSE IF THAT HAD HAPPENED TO HER 20 YEARS BEFORE SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN HORRIFIED - BUT INSTEAD NOW SHE FELT SHE WAS A BETTER PERSON BECAUSE SHE WAS ACCEPTING OF HERSELF AND OF HER CLASSMATES-AS I STAND HERE TONIGHT I WANT YOU ALL TO KNOW THAT I FEEL THE SAME WAY - I WAS PROUD TO BE CHOSEN IN 1992 TO BE THE MOST CHANGED- TO STEAL A FEW OF HER LINES IN THAT SITCOM- WHEN I LOOK OUT ON THIS CROWD - I DON'T SEE WEIGHT-WRINCKLES-GREY HAIR- ......

I SEE CAROL KINGERY JUMPING UP AND DOWN AT PEP RALLIES- I SEE SAM GROVE ALL PADDED UP TO WIN THAT NEXT FOOTBALL GAME AND THEN HEAR HIM IN CHOIR WITH THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BARITONE VOICE - I SEE DAWN MASSEY AND JENNY SLIPHER AND THAT TWINKLE IN THEIR EYES AS THEY WERE PICKED AS QUEENS- I CAN HEAR ROBBY KAYS AND HIS BAND OF MERRY MEN AND THEIR ERROL FLYNN FAN CLUB- I CAN SEE PROSSER WINK AT ME AND NOT SAY A WORD WHILE WATCHING ME GIVE MY SISTER WANDA JUST ENOUGH ANSWERS ON THE FINAL TO GET HER TO PASS SO SHE COULD GRADUATE-I CAN HEAR MARTIN HENDERSON TELL ME THE FIRST TIME I WAS EVER ON A STAGE
- -”MOVE - YOU DO MOVE DON'T YOU?”

I CAN GO ON AND ON AND ON - BUT I THINK YOU GET THIS DRIFT - WE HAVE GONE THROUGH ALL THESE CHANGES TO COME TO THIS DAY 30 YEARS LATER WHEN WE SAY - YA KNOW? ALL THE CRAP WE WENT THROUGH BACK THEN MADE US WHO WE ARE TODAY AND WHO WE ARE TODAY IS WHY WE ARE HERE TONIGHT MORE ACCEPTING - MORE AT PEACE-A LITTLE CLOSER TO EACH OTHER AND HOPEFULLY WITH -”A LITTLE MORE FLAME OF FREEDOM IN OUR SOULS AND A LITTLE MORE LIGHT OF KNOWLEDGE IN OUR EYES

WE GRIEVE THAT YOU ARE GONE AND UNABLE TO SHARE THIS NIGHT WITH US - BUT YOU WILL ALWAYS BE A PART OF US AS

GOD BLESS AMERICA AND GOD BLESS THE CLASS OF 1972