I was offered a bribe!
That’s right! Judy Roberts, mom of James ’84 and Jason ’87, offered to pay for my football game tickets if I’d go stand in front of the high school at 6 a.m. and wait for the sales to begin at 8:30.
I may be a little naïve, only a first-year high school parent, but give me a break – you arrive at the game 45 minutes early, walk up to that concrete bunker thingy outside the stadium, give the guy $10, and he hands you two tickets. That’s ticket sales!
What’s this stand-in-line-before-the-sun-comes-up business? Why go to all the trouble? It’s only a couple of bands performing, for goodness sake!
Seriously, I’ve been to all the games this year, and on the occasions when I’ve turned my attention from the band, it seems to me the football team has a pretty uncomplicated offensive scheme.
They run three plays –
1. Stiggers LEFT (where quarterback Marcus Stiggers runs toward the left side)
2. Stiggers RIGHT (Marcus runs to the right)
3. Gibson MIDDLE (Marcus hands the ball to Jaunapha Gibson).
Whereas, the band’s repertoire is mind bogglingly extensive and downright unrestrained.
(Football player moms: Send your gripes and arguments to this band dad at the numbers below.)
Trivia Answers & Frustrations
In last month’s column, I threw out some trivia items.
Where is Thurgood St.? Of course, it’s the short street that links Northwest Highway and Shoreview next to the Army Reserve building.
(By the way…Am I the only person around who was stunned by the closing of the Whataburger restaurant next to the skating rink? I still have coupons I haven’t used!)
Not a lot of successful response to my trivia quiz, so I’m holding some of the questions over for another month.
1. Most famous Lake Highlands graduate?
I had offerings of Morgan Fairchild (was on “Good Morning Texas” last month); and Jeannie Wilson, Miss America and star of Imperial Sugar commercials on television, where she gushes, “I use Imperial pure cane sugar…just like my mama did!”
My Deep Throat source maintains: “Her mama didn’t know how to turn on the oven!”
2. Who was on the Oprah Winfrey show in September?
Rosy Vela, whose family lives on Vistadale, was on a panel discussing “Aging Supermodels.” She doesn’t look too aged to me!
3. What is the name of the movie made at Lake Highlands High School? Who was the director?
Come on! There weren’t any answers submitted on this one, and I forgot the title of it. It was on Channel 21 a few months ago. I’m pretty sure Ron Howard was the director since I remember his brother Clint (Gentle Ben) Howard being in it, and the only way Clint gets work is through nepotism.
Somebody call or write with the name of this movie so I don’t lose any more sleep. I remember a marching band in it, and the plot involved a battle of the bands in the gym.
Keeping Up with Graduates
Reed Vanderbilt, ’87, is in graduate school at Stanford University. That’s after Princeton University and two years teaching in Thailand. Trust me, Reed, your resume is coming right along!
How about this? Jim Harmon, ’94, attending M.I.T. (three initials that look good on a resume, too, Jim), won $500 in valuable prizes at a campus variety show earlier in the semester. His talent? A rifle-spinning routine! Jim was a member of the rifle line and drum major of the band at the high school.
Cary and Jennifer Vogel Williams, ’82, reside in Lake Highlands and have five little Wildcats of their own.
David, ’84, and Teresa Hood have a new son, Steven.
Jeff and Mary Passmore, ’86, live in Merriman Park and just returned from a trip to Spain.
Lake Highlands’ own Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader (and my daughter’s favorite tap teacher), Carrie Chapman, ’87, was married Nov. 4.
And another important wedding to note – remember Steve Rinney, ’82, and Evan Gatewood, ’82, both members of the 1981 State Champion Wildcat football team? Steve’s father just wed Evan’s mother! This joyous occasion is undeniable proof of the strength of Lake Highlands ties.
