School Story:
I remember lots of good times with the marching band. The Marching 100 name was started by the then Band Director Boyd LaMarsh. 1958 was the first official year of The Alton High Marching 100 and I well remember how different things were once the band began to perform actual pre-game and half time shows. We also had a drill team type band that marched at the half at the basketball games. I also remember marching at the half of one of the old Football Cardinals games at the old Sportsman's Park baseball stadium on Grand Avenue in St. Louis in either 59 or 60.
Many of you may remember the band room was down under the old boy's gym, next to the boiler room in the main building. I remember one year,
during the marching season, we got mad at Mr.
LaMarsh, made up a big batch of red Kool-Aid, and when noone was around, we poured the liquid into one of the sousaphones, which hung on some brackets attached to the support columns in the center of the room. It was either later that day or the next, that one of the sousaphone players grabbed the horn off of the bracket to practice, tipped it over, and was covered with red Kool-Aid. Mr. Lamarsh went nuts and didn't seem to find any humor in the happenings.
I do remember what great athletic teams we had during those years at Alton high. I still remember what a tough loss our basketball team had against Madison in the state playoffs, I believe it was either 59 or 60, and we were something like 26 and 2, ranked second in the state, and lost in overtime by a couple of points. That team had Mike Yavorski, Stan Macafoos, Carl Crumer, and a bunch of very talented players. Sherril Hanks was the coach. Also, I still see our old football coach Ralph McClain in the area, and if my memory serves me correctly, he had an undefeated football team in 1960. Boy what fun times we had.
Do any of you remember going to the Franklin Temple after the games on Friday nights. Lots of great memories there. Also, Boyd's Sandwich Shop,
cherry cokes and floats at Kerr's Drug Store, ice cream at Block's on college avenue, burgers at the Bright Spot down by the Glass Works, and of course, root beer at the A & W Root Beer stand on elm street. Great memories those times.
What a mad house it used to be going down to the cafeteria under the auditorium, and study hall in room 208 with Mrs. Anderson. Gosh, it can't be 50 years ago that all that happened. It will be fun to get together to remember all the great times. I wanted to particularly remember Anita Blaney Crane who was in the band with me, was such a wonderful person, and died at too young of an age, when she was doing so many good things in the local music scene. She was really sweet.
Hello to former classmates Bob Nicolet, and Chuck Wittman, who we played lots of Khoury League baseball games together. Great memories! I recently visited with Jim Hatcher and his wife to pick up some posters of events from their time at North junior High, which will be on display at the reunion. It was a lot of fun to talk over old times with them just in the past couple of weeks. I have really enjoyed working with all the members of the reunion committee and it will be a lot of fun renewing some old friendships at the reunion.
