CRUISING CAMELOT

   By Paula Wicker Hamby

 

 Remember when John F. Kennedy was elected
President of the United States? It was the fall of 1960.
Politics were very important in my family, and I heard
the pros and cons discussed daily by my Democrat
Mom and my Republican Dad! High excitement hit the
smallest burb when John Kennedy was elected, and
all of us looked to the future with high hopes! College
was a soon to be discovered dream come true for many
while others got their first jobs and some of our bravest entered the military.

 

 The pillbox hat was the rage in ladies' fashions, and everything was about the music of the Beatles, and  I was madly rolling my hair each night to produce that wonderful creation known as the "bouffant." Times were carefree for me. I only had to negotiate  school, homework, piano lessons, church and cruising around with my friends. It was a time of special friendships and having fun!

 

 We toured the White House by television when Jackie Kennedy took the stage to become our First Lady. She and John Kennedy cut a striking figure on the international scene too as the French referred to our President as "Jackie's husband."

 

 Little did we know where our safe and secure time together at Central High would lead us. We are certainly a diverse group as we re-discovered at our Reunion 2003. So now almost 41 years later, where are we?

 

 Our master organizer, Bob Pepper, has suggested that each month our Smoke Signals feature on our Central Warrior website will be a gentle reminder of our time together so long ago and now almost as mythical as Camelot.

 

 What great stories do you remember? Which ones can you tell??? If you have some burning desire to become a featured writer here on Smoke Signals, just give it a whirl! I know I will be looking forward to seeing your name in lights and reading those fabulous accounts of those idyllic days at Central High. So "Come on you Warriors…up on your toes…give your best to old Central!"

 

Send your anecdote or observation to:  pjhamby2@aol.com