What a wonderful thing! I finally made it back to Alderson one more time. As good as it was, it could have been much better, if I had been better. I caught something on the plane from Phoenix (I think it was a chest cold) and parts of my time spent there are a little hazy.  I kept asking my son what we did, or didn't do while there. Must have been my cold medicine.

My trip started Monday the 1st when I flew from Phoenix to Indiana to my son's home in Warsaw and spent a couple of days with him and his wife Brenda. Thursday the 4th, while Alderson was in full blown celebration mode, Curtis and I spent most of the day driving from Warsaw to Alderson. Earlier this year, we found, and made reservations in Talcott, at a house called "Up on the Hill", which we used as home base. Nice place.

The next day, on the 5th, Curtis and I went visiting a couple of folks we both knew, Sandy and Dorothy Hines in Lewisburg and arranged to meet Mary Ruth Altair Patton at the Big Wheel restaurant. There we ran into Patty Bowyer Ballard, my class mate, who I haven't seen since 1982 at our 25th class reunion. Saturday the 6th, we went to see Bill & Joann Rhodes who now owns Linda's parents home at River Side Rest. By now I was feeling exhausted. With the Alumni Banquet coming up that evening, I decided to go back to bed and try to rest before the banquet. During this time I realized I had no cell service at all, and those who I made appointments with, to see and spend some time with, couldn't get in touch with me, nor I in touch with them. To all of those I wanted to see and didn't, I apologize.

This is a list of folks that I saw at the banquet. They are friends I use to know or friends I got to know through the Aldersonian and were meeting face to face for the first time. There were other kind folks that came up but I don't have their names. It was sad that there was no one from my class of 1957.

Robert Ballard
Diana Merritt
Marjorie Sweetwood
Anita Hill
Causby Parker
Hazel Baker
Alex Feamster
Ward Parker
Betty Miller
Ann Hogsett
Pat Nash
Lillian Russell
Linda Lowdermilk
Francis Keadle

Karen Lobban, Margaret Hambrick and Mayor Travis Copenhaver, all presented me with gifts and an award for the work on the Aldersonian. Here is a video link of that presentation.
Presentation.

Thanks to all of you, it was a blessing to see you again.

If I've missed anyone, please contact me and I'll add you name to this list.

Special thanks to my son Curtis. Not only was it great to spend the time with him, he kept me going, which I desperately needed.

Finally, I doubt if I'll ever make it back to Alderson again, which breaks my heart.

Hail, Hail, Hail to Alderson!