NewsletterPage

*******FROM DINAH’S DEN - 9/1/07*******

(the den is where my computer is located)

Hi everyone! It’s been a while since I sent out a newsletter, but here we are in that back to school time of year. I will have to get used to and watch out for those school zones. Most kids started Monday with new backpacks, supplies, shoes, the latest clothes (except for those who have to wear uniforms), etc. Woodrow students started a new tradition this year-they are in the school uniform category for the first time. I’m sure the seniors are none too happy about that decision. However, the night before school starts, they continued the ten year tradition of creatively painting their own personal parking lot space they use for their entire senior year. These spaces are purchased in an auction fundraiser held at the end of their junior year. Some get very creative. They also paint and decorate the horseshoe drive between parking lots while being treated to a cookout and music. It’s a fun evening. It is also much better than the “tradition” before. When my oldest started as a freshman at WW, students were greeted the first day with at least 150-200 For Sale signs in front of the school, which the seniors pilfered from yards all over Dallas. A realtor friend of mine living in Highland Park actually told me she got an email from her company warning about the seniors from WW stealing signs the night before school. How embarrassing!!! How about that for a bit of recent WW history and trivia? I just remember showing up on the first days back at WW in the 60s.

As I hear of events and information pertaining to Woodrow now, I will do my best to keep you informed. Any of you feel free to feed me info I might not know about Woodrow events. I do know the Homecoming game is Friday September 28 at Franklin Field. Perhaps a group of us can meet there. They also have a parade Wednesday evening going through the neighborhood and down Swiss to the bank on the corner of Gaston and La Vista where they have a pep rally.

Speaking of meeting with friends, our reunion committee is working hard to plan a fun-filled, memorable time. We call ourselves a committee because we are the same ones who have been meeting and getting the ball rolling. However, any of you are welcome to join us for a meeting or become a committee member. Check the website for time, place, and date.

In addition to current Woodrow events and info, I want these messages to be about our class members’ lives. I can’t do that successfully without hearing from you. Please send me bits of information you wouldn’t mind sharing. My mother will turn 95 next week and is still going pretty strong; however, I know several classmates who have lost parents as well as other family members. I’m sure many would want to express their sympathy and memories. If you send me that kind of information as well, I can pass it along. We were a community of school friends once; now we can become a community of adults who have reconnected with old friends who care about each other. We do have a history together. Whatever it was then, it is the foundation upon which our present and future are being built. We can choose what to take with us on this road of life.

As the last bit of information, we are a little more than a year out. In about two weeks, we will need to give a deposit to the Arboretum for our Saturday night event, and that is only the beginning of our expenditures. At this time, we are seriously lacking in monetary resources. Once again, we are asking each of you to consider how you can help. You can make a one time gift or spread your giving out if that is better. Think of it as investing in your 40th Reunion, but the time to start investing is now. I read a quote by Mahatma Ghandhi which said, “You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing, there will be no results.” I’m confident we can count on your actions to produce fantastic results!

If you haven’t done so, go to our website www.www1968.com and check it out. Even if you have visited, it is always being improved and enlarged. Smile at the pictures, the members of the lost but not forgotten classmates, and the personal memories of WW days. You can also check out the way to contact us, the instructions for giving, and date information. Be active!

Until next time,

Dinah DeWitt Gaspard

From Dinah - 1/24/08:

Happy New Year Fellow Classmates!

It's been a while since I've written, and I apologize for that. I hope each of you had an enjoyable holiday. We did at the Gaspard house. We got to spend some time with all our four children, a daughter in law, a fiancé, and our 19 month old grandson, who lives in Chicago. Forty years ago, who would have imagined talking about grandchildren? How many stages of life have we all journeyed through since we were 18?

I won't take you down all my roads, but take a second and try to remember what we were all doing around this time 40 years ago. We had finished our first semester exams (perhaps the last at WW if you were fortunate enough to be exempt in the spring). Remember the all-nighters, the stress, the fear, the confidence (for some), and the anticipation? That is what the students at Woodrow were experiencing last week too. This week the seniors of 08 will start to count down their last semester at WW, just like we did in 68.

The fall 07 football season at Woodrow was not as exciting as in recent years, unfortunately. The basketball season started with high hopes and expectations, but it is in danger of fizzling too unless the team or coaches can ignite a fire. Kids are practicing for the musical, Sound of Music, coming up in the spring. *A memory flashback-Kay Kretchmar took me to see that movie at the Inwood Theater for my 15th(?) birthday.* Back to the present -- soccer is going on, and baseball is gearing up too. I'll keep you updated about activities at our alma mater. Every May, the Booster Club holds the Tim Brown Golf Tournament to raise extra funds for the sports at Woodrow. Tim Brown is always there participating, and often he brings friends with him from the sports world. It is open to all. I'll let you know the details in case an alumni 68 team or several want to participate. It is always fun, and it supports our school.

But Woodrow is not just about sports! As most of you know, Woodrow has a history of very competitive and talented Mock Trial teams. That competition begins this week. I know some very talented students are brushing up on their powers of persuasion as I write this update for our website.

And kudos to our old Alma Mater!!! The Texas Public Policy Foundation released a study in October naming 39 Texas high schools (only three in Dallas) as "shining examples of places where students are achieving success in math and science." The schools not only scored well in math and science, but they also showed significant gains over time. Way to go Wildcats!!.

Now to a more serious note...In case some of you haven't heard, over the holidays we lost another one of our classmates, Wayne Smith (E.W. to many). I had not seen Wayne in so long until about a year ago when I recognized him while eating at Luby's Cafeteria with my mother. We visited, and I got his email address to add to my class addresses. I attended his service (also saw his fishing buddies from our class, Ben Loggins and Randy Fife) and learned a lot about Wayne. I must say I wish I had had the opportunity to know him better. He joined the Police force in 1971 and served 36 years. On a personal note, it was very evident from the testimonies given that Wayne was respected, admired, and loved by family, friends, and coworkers. Some of the words used to describe him were sincere, honest, mentor, hardworking, dedicated, encouraging, wise, quiet, and wonderful sense of humor. His family always came first, and everyone knew it. One of his fellow officers and friends shared some of Wayne's sayings called "EWisms." Let me just share a few of these bits of wisdom-I know I can apply them to my life.

- There is no way to do the wrong thing the right way.

- Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching.

- Always leave a person his dignity, thereby preserving yours.

- Act on problems when they are small, and you won't have to when they are big.

- It costs nothing to be kind.

- When in doubt, do the right thing.

Isn't it interesting that the impression we have of others from high school often changes when we meet again years later? You have the opportunity to see if that is the case coming up. We are now nine months away from our 40th reunion in October. The reunion committee is working hard to plan a fun and meaningful weekend with a variety of activities. However, we are still trying to locate our classmates, and we need help. Soon a list of those not found yet will be posted on our site. Please look it over and see if you can help us in our search. The committee is having a lot of fun working on this reunion. Join us! If you can't physically join us, send a donation. Trust me -- it will be an EVENT to remember for all who attend. We hope you’ll plan on celebrating with us!

Until next time,

Dinah DeWitt Gaspard

FROM DINAH - 3/26/08: SPRING HAS SPRUNG IN DALLAS, TEXAS!!

Fellow classmates:

Depending on where you live now, spring has either arrived, and it is teasing you with greenery and a few warm days, or it has arrived in name only. If you are still living in our hometown, Dallas, I believe it is here for the most part except for a few cold snaps that will come back when least expected. Nevertheless, I can say with confidence that spring fever has arrived. On a warm and sunny day last week, I took my 95 year old mother to the Arboretum. It is so beautiful there. A spring or summer reunion would have been great. However, one in the fall with the cool nights and fall decor will be wonderful as well. It will feel like football weather and remind us of Homecoming-our 40th Homecoming Reunion. Have you marked it on your calendar yet? Don't forget to save the dates-October 17th and 18th.

I have a variety of news from Woodrow. First, the Mock Trial team from our alma mater won second place in state. How about that? Woodrow also had a gold medal winner in the state swimming competition. Perhaps some of you read the editorial section of the Dallas News on March 5th and saw one entitled "Choose Woodrow." DISD has launched a campaign with signs saying Go Public. The signs around this area are specific rather than just go public. I was surprised at seeing a positive editorial in the paper touting WW and those parents who choose to send their kids there when they could go private. If you missed the article or are interested in reading it go to http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-woodrow_03edi.ART.State.Edition1.46734ce.html From the sports arena, the Wildcat baseball team is fully engaged in the season. For academics, this year WW has one National Merit Finalist. Congratulations! The first round of One Act Play competition starts this Friday afternoon. Good luck Wildcat actors!

Now on to some information of upcoming events. The musical this year is The Sound of Music. The tickets have already gone on sale. The dates are April 17-20, and the tickets are $10 and $15 in advance and $12 and $18 at the door. You can buy online this year. If you are interested, check it out at www.woodrowwildcats.org/musical.htm . Last year several of us went on Sunday afternoon and sat together. We might try that again if some of you are interested. We have an ad in the program so look for it.

Now, calling all golfers or wanna be golfers...The annual Tim Brown Golf Tournament is Tuesday May 6 this year. It started years ago as a fundraiser for the athletic department. Tim has always showed up and played and usually brought another "celebrity" friend or two. I hear this year he is doing more-he is paying the country club fee and bringing more name athletes in. He wants to raise more money for Woodrow. It will be at Indian Creek Golf Club in Carrollton this year. It would be great to have several 68 teams. I will send more information when I get more. Seriously think about this. It could be a fun way to have an early reunion of sorts and help out our alma mater.

As spring is only here for a short time in Texas, summer closely follows, and, before we know it, fall will have arrived and it will be reunion time!!! It is time to be seriously thinking and planning for our reunion in seven months. The committee is working hard to get everything in place to make this a memorable event. However, one issue we are having a problem with is finding our fellow classmates. By the end of this coming weekend, we should have a complete list of our classmates according to our annual on our website. For more than half of these people, we have no current information. That is where you come in. Please look over the list and either send us information on people or call classmates you might have contact with to make sure they get on the website and fill out our information form. Not everyone can or wants to be involved in planning and organizing the reunion, but everyone can participate in making this an event to remember by calling classmates, giving out our website address, and sending in information. I found Warren Sibley in the aisles of Walgreens several months ago and ran into Bobbie Thurman at an estate sale. I wrote down both of their email addresses and gave them the 68 website. You can help us find our classmates, too!

Friends, I just got back in town today from my cousin's funeral. He was only 54. Many of his current friends were there, but one who spoke and really touched me was a friend from youth. This man hadn't seen my cousin in at least 30 years, but they did all kinds of things(many wild and crazy) when young and practically lived together-it was the late 50s and early 60s. He retold many memories. However, one thing especially stuck with me. He said even though they hadn't seen each other in so long and hadn't been in communication, he felt they had been closer than brothers when young and the bond between them had never been broken. Go back and search your memories for those you have not seen or talked with in many years and the fun you had. Come to the reunion. Don't let the opportunity to reconnect with classmates pass by. You won't regret it.

Until next time,

Dinah DeWitt Gaspard

July, 2008

SUMMER GREETINGS FROM BIG D AND HAPPY BDAY USA!

Fellow Classmates:

I hope everyone had a fun filled celebration on the 4th of July. Those involved in decorating and riding on the WW Class of 68 40th Reunion Float in the Lakewood Parade certainly did. We made posters and signs and decked out Ronnie Caddell’s 16 foot trailer in a combination of red, white, and blue and Woodrow. What a combination! We waved, cheered, threw candy, and sang the fight song along the route. Look at the pictures on our website, and you will catch glimpses of your young at heart fellow classmates. We even tied for first place in our category-the senior floats and entrants. The name for the category is unfortunate…we are not senior citizens yet! Nevertheless, we did accept our first place medal with Wildcat 68 pride.

Now I want to share a little personal history, especially for those with whom I have not had much contact over the years. After graduating in 68, I was not at Woodrow for many years. Then, there were several occasions that pulled me back-Ms Eckelman’s retirement, Mr Pierce’s retirement, and the 50th anniversary of the school, as well as our 10th and 20th reunions when we had the school open. Then, in the fall of 1990, our oldest son entered WW as a freshman. My career as a Woodrow parent started, and that lasted until our fourth child, a daughter, graduated in 2004(At her graduation, I felt like I finally had graduated from Woodrow). What a run! That year was also the 75th anniversary celebration. We truly have a special and unique school. There were so many of the graduates from the early years, the 30s and 40s, in attendance. It was amazing and touching. Many of you also attended, and that event is when we started reconnecting in preparation for this reunion. Let’s make a pact to all attend the 100th anniversary celebration at Woodrow with our canes, walkers, wheelchairs, white hair, no hair, glasses, and hearing aids. I’ll be there if the Lord’s willing. How about you?

On May 31st the WW senior class of 2008 graduated. The kids from that class have scattered or will scatter in many directions. They will go to college, to trade schools, to the military, and others to work. There will probably be those who wonder what in the world they should do now. Does any of this sound familiar? Some things don’t change that much while others do. I wonder what their memories of Woodrow will be 40 years from now. Will there be reunions then? Will it all be on the computer or some other technological invention? If so, they will lose out because I believe it is all about the face to face personal reconnection. Oh well, just call me old fashioned and corny (my kids do).

Speaking of reunions, ours is now only a little more than three months away. I hope you have marked your calendars for October 17 and 18 to be in Dallas with friends you might not have seen in years. If you remember, our last celebration was the 30th held at Stan’s Blue Note on Greenville Ave. It was a one night party. This time the committee has worked hard to offer several events-a golf tournament, the classmate party (with significant others if they choose to come), a bus tour, and the big event at the Arboretum overlooking White Rock Lake. You won’t be disappointed! Of course, to me, the best part will be the fun of visiting and catching up on what you are doing now, where you are living, and where this 40 year journey has taken you. It will also be fun to play the “do you remember” game. However, if you are like me, don’t worry; we will have nametags with your 1968 picture just in case the “now more mature” look doesn’t produce the flicker of recognition. It will be fun!

In closing, I want to share something with you I read in Kathy Kilmer Moak’s newsletter she sends out through the 67 class website. She had been watching an episode of Boston Legal where one of the characters compared friendship to a backyard garden. It’s something we plan to tend but usually end up forgetting. Unfortunately, that can be so true. We also often just get distracted by life, or we just don’t know where to start. Well, I have a plan. Let’s start tending our friendship gardens the weekend of October 17 and 18, if not before. What a harvest we can produce! Until then, take care, my friends.

Dinah DeWitt Gaspard

Keep visiting our website. It is ever changing and getting better and better.
www.www1968.com

Fellow 68 Classmates:

Do you realize it is one month and ten days until our 40th Reunion in October? I hope all of you have already made your plans to attend. As a reminder, there will be some kind of event for everyone-the golf tournament, a casual graduate (and guest) party at Ozona on Greenville Avenue, a bus tour of old haunts and new locales in East Dallas and beyond, and finally, the big event at the beautiful Dallas Arboretum on White Rock Lake. The Saturday night event will include a wonderful band to entertain us(The Novas) with a variety of music(much of it highlighting our days at WW), delicious food, dancing if you like, a chance to visit and catch up with fellow classmates, and the opportunity to stroll around the beautiful gardens of the Arboretum and gaze out on White Rock Lake as the moon sets on a cool October evening(if there is a moon that evening). I hope you all are as excited as I am! I look forward to seeing each of you. However, I must warn you in case you have been procrastinating to act now. If you are like me, I'm sure you like to take advantage of a price break when it is offered, so send in your reservations and money on or before the 10th of September because after that date, the cost increases.

Our committee has been working almost two years on this event. We haven't had a reunion since our 30th. Once again, we could have made this reunion small like that one which was a one night event held at a bar on Greenville Avenue. It was fun, but we decided this reunion needed to be memorable and offer more, and that was the driving force behind all our decisions. Believe me when I say it has been fun for the committee to meet together and renew friendships. It has been like a series of mini reunions. We have all grown close. However, I must say we have also worked hard and put forth a great deal of our own time, effort, and money to get this underway for our class, but those who want to participate are not limited to just the committee. There is still time and still a need. Even though our reunion is fast approaching, I am extending an invitation. If any of you want to volunteer to help out in any aspect whether it be creative ideas, hands on help, in kind or cash donations in terms of sponsoring any part of the reunion, or any other idea you may have, please know all is welcome and appreciated. Just contact a committee member. The invitation has already been mailed and hopefully delivered to all of you. However, you can also view it on our web site at www.www1968.com . There is a wealth of information contained in the reunion invitation packet. After you have filled in all the events you will be attending and are getting ready to calculate your cost, please also note the opportunity to make an extra donation for a gift for Woodrow, a scholarship to a student, and/or reunion expenses. Keep in mind the more underwriting we have of the expenses of the reunion, the more we will have available to offer to our alma mater as a gift and to a deserving student. Be generous.

Friends, this journey called life has taken us down many paths since May of 1968. Perhaps after some of you graduated, for one reason or another, you have never gone back to Woodrow or seen anyone from those high school days. My brother graduated in 1958. His 50th reunion is actually the same weekend as ours. He has not been back to any of his reunions-I think they thought he was lost. However, this summer a classmate of his found my name in the Woodrow's 75th anniversary yearbook and called me to see if I was his sister. They didn't have his correct address, but I supplied it and had a very nice visit with him (as it turns out, he went to Stonewall with my brother and remembered when I was born). My brother is coming to his first reunion in 50 years. How about you? Could this be your first Woodrow reunion? If so, don't hesitate to come. I've recently been corresponding via email with some of my Stonewall classmates. It has been so much fun remembering the teachers, the school building itself, the Principals, the classmates, and the activities. Contact some of your elementary school friends and encourage them to come too.

Like I said, we have all been on different journeys. However, that doesn't mean we can't relate to each other and laugh and even cry. At this stage of our lives many have had children and grandchildren; we've had careers, given up careers, come back into the workforce, lost parents, are taking care of parents, found the meaning of life, and/or are still looking for the meaning of life. Some know who they are and what they want out of the rest of life, and some might still wonder what they want to be when they grow up. We have lost friends and loved ones and even classmates. We've all experienced joy and pain. Nevertheless, now is the time to come back together and renew friendships, and laugh, and maybe even cry but definitely have a memorable weekend. As I said, I look forward to being with each of you in one month and ten days. Until then my friends, as an old Irish toast states, "May the road rise up to meet you and the wind be always at your back!"

Dinah DeWitt Gaspard

Fellow Classmates:

Two years ago a group of 68 Wildcats got together to start planning our 40th reunion. A core of that group, along with several invaluable classmate additions, has continued to meet, play, and work together to present to all a fantastic Reunion Weekend which will begin a week from today! Are you ready for some celebrating?

The reunion committee is for sure. We can't wait to see you all.

Along those lines, many of you have already responded and will be here to join in on the festivities. On the other hand, there are those of you who are still on the fence as well as those who think you have a conflict and won't be able to come. Okay, fellow Wildcats, get off the fence and rearrange your plans-a 40th Reunion only comes once, and it has been ten years since our last reunion! It will not be too late to come until 11pm Saturday the 18th. I want to personally encourage each of you to attend all of the events or at least some of them. Contact those you were closest with in high school and those you'd like to see again and encourage them to join you there. You can still send in your reservations, or you can pay at the door of each event(except for Saturday and I'll explain later how to work around that).

ATTENTION! Here is the abbrieviated version of all the important information you need to know. You can go on our web site(www.www1968.com) and see the detailed information if this doesn't answer your questions.

RECAP OF EVENTS

-Friday-

Golf @ Tennison Park Course @ 9 AM--registration in advance only

Grad(and guest) Party @Ozonza Bar&Grill @ 7PM--GreenvilleAve north of Mockingbird Ln

-Saturday-

Bus Tour from 10AM-2PM--leave from Woodrow and return to Woodrow-lunch included

Party @ Arboretum @ 7PM-11PM--Garland Rd overlooking White Rock Lake

PAYMENT FOR THOSE NOT REGISTERED

-You can pay for the Friday night party(as well as the Saturday night party) and Saturday bus tour at

those two events

-NOTE: Due to the rules and regulations at the Arboretum, you CANNOT PAY for the Saturday night

event at the Arboretum. No money can be exchanged there(except for the cash bar). Therefore, you

need to pay beforehand at another event or make arrangements on Saturday night. HOWEVER, don't

let this inconvience stop you from coming. We can work it out.

-You can come to the hospitality suite at the Radisson Hotel on Saturday from 2-5 and pay there for

the Saturday night event.

-You can also contact a committee member and make payment arrangements.

RADISSON HOTEL @MOCKINGBIRD STATION

-A shuttle bus will be available to take hotel guests to and from the Friday night and Saturday night

events. This is for convenience as well as safety in case you celebrate more than anticipated.

-A Hospitality Suite will be provided on Saturday for all reunion attendees from 2-5. Please inquire

at the information desk as to where it is located. You can also purchase reunion tshirts there.

T SHIRTS

-One of our own fellow grads, Mike Valentine, has created a Class of 68 tshirt for us.

-They will be available for $10 each in red or white at each event except the Saturday night

party(where money cannot be exchanged). There are limited numbers, so buy early!

-Also, Mike has a variety of styles, in addition to our own specific shirt, and these can be ordered.