In 1961, I graduated from Topeka High School, in a class with an amazing bunch of kids who grew into some pretty amazing adults. And this past weekend, we held our Golden Reunion.
It started off with a gathering Friday night, where we all decided that they should have much larger print on the name tags, which we really needed to help us recognize each other. After hellos and hugs, we met up on Saturday morning for a tour of our old Alma Mater.
It's always been a beautiful school, but now it is on the National Reguister of Historic Places, which has allowed them to obtain some graints for restorations.
I'd forgotten how great the library was. It has the original furniture (it was restored by the inmates of a nearby prison in Hutchinson, Kansas) 
and the large working fireplace. In the cafeteria, they replicated the original chandeliers with the help of local artisans. And the beautiful auditorium had "new" carpet that was loomed to look like the original classic - replacing some really awful stuff that found it's way to the aisles in the 1970's.
A group of us broke off from the main group to check out the band and orchestra rehearsal room, where so many of us spent hours learning lessons about music and life - and these lessons helped us be better at the many professions we wound up in. But we were sort of disappointed that they had removed the risers and the seats along the side of the room where visitors could listen as we played.
There was a dinner Saturday night and a Good By Breakfast this morning. So finally by the time we were beginning to recognize old friends and sharing life stories, it was time to leave!
And as I start on the next leg of the road trip, I'm beginning to more fully appreciate the wonderful experience we all had in this place, and how the school and the faculty shaped so many of our lives. So it's time to sign off for now. Tomorrow, I'll write some more about some of the special friendships that grew over the past three days. Meanwhile, for now, I'm exhausted.
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