It’s the end of the school year, and I’m sure everyone is busy planning summer activities, but the mail bag was pretty light last month.
I’d written about some Lake Highlands High School graduates who make their living as radio personalities in the Dallas market. My trivia questions usually get a good response (along with some extra tidbits about school grads I’m able to incorporate into this column), but last month…nothing from readers on that subject.
I did, however, receive an entertaining letter from Michael T. Parker, one of the subjects of the story. I thought I knew his REAL name before I read the letter, but now I’m not too sure.
I’m going to hold off putting a real name to the four Lake Highlands graduates I mentioned last month, in hopes that your guesses are in the mail.
And just to spice things up, I have a vintage 1973 football program or a Lake Highlands Key Club pin-up calendar from 1975 that I’ll pull out of the prize bag and send to the person who can answer the question and give me the best new idea for use in a future column.
Put a real name to the following – Michael T. Parker, Rick Austin, Lisa Lee and Wally Lynn. And most important, to be eligible for the prize, tell me something interesting about a Lake Highlands graduate.
Band Notes
Gloria White wrote some fond memories of the Lake Highlands High School band. Her daughter, Germaine ’76 was a clarinet player in the concert, symphonic and marching bands. She was the head drum major during her senior year.
Mrs. White maintains that from 1972-1976, Lake Highlands had the best bands in the country and was known from coast to coast. (The band and Germaine won numerous awards to prove it!)
Germaine graduated from SMU in 1980 with a bachelor of music degree and works as manager of national accounts in Washington, D.C., for Kaiser Permanente.
By the way, Jimmie Green, who was director of bands at LHHS when Germaine was playing, returned to Lake Highlands this spring to hold workshop sessions with our current band. The Lake Highlands Symphonic Band performed in a concert with Mr. Green’s University of Houston Wind Ensemble at the Meyerson Symphony Center in April.
You’ll be able to see Germaine this month when the class of 1976 meets to celebrate its 20th reunion.
The Campout, Continued
Randy Sprowl ’66 stopped me at a meeting recently to pass on his recollections of the first senior men’s end-of-the-year campout. According to his memory, the first-ever event was in 1964 held by a group led by Al Landon, his brother Paul Jim “Moose” Frank, and someone they called “Peefer.” (Mr. Sprowl couldn’t recall the real name, but told me how the nickname came about – a story I won’t relate in a family publication.)
They pitched their tents at the edge of the high school grounds – still on school property, at Kingsley and Ferndale. Police apparently tried to chase the group and ended up cornering one of the boys. The young man allegedly jumped a fence onto property owned by Sammy Goforth’s dad, where the senior Mr. Goforth somehow saved the culprit with a little conversation.
Talk to Randy Sprowl if you think this is all a myth. I’m just a reporter!
Here and There…
Lake Highlands graduate Justin Leonard ’89 continues on the professional golf tour. He’s also featured in the June issue of Cosmopolitan as among the most eligible bachelors.
No longer eligible is George Russell ’73, who married Mandy Fink May 4.
Golfer Lanny Wadkins is married to former Lake Highlands and TCU cheerleader Penny Atwood. Penny’s parents still live in the area. Ask them how good their grandsons are at golf games.
Christi Nation Tobey ’87 and husband James are moving back to Lake Highlands. They’ve been in Philadelphia, where James attended the Wharton School of Finance and will soon graduate. They’re expecting a little Tobey Wildcat in July.
I saw Danny Koons ’73 at a party recently. Danny and wife Mary live in Cedar Hill, where he teaches junior high school. They have two children: Mollie, 4, and Billy, 2 ½.
