Christmas/New Year Greetings

You still have time to send a Christmas/New Year greeting to the classmates of FP '61. However, the window of opportunity is closing fast. Jot down your greeting in an email and send it to me. I'll do the rest.

Linda McDaniel McVay, et al.

Please wish all Fair Park grads a Very Merry Christmas and a Most Happy New Year. (Signed): Linda McDaniel McVay, Sue Judd Ross, Garland Ware Mollenkamp, and Sharon McClain Carter.

David Paul Smith

Bill, just wanted to let you know that even the prodigals such as myself greatly appreciate what all you are doing. To you and all fellow classmates, a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Thanks again for all you do.

Henry (H.R.) and Molly Templin

Merry Christmas everyone! Molly & I are enjoying our retirement in Punta Gorda, Florida. We do miss Shreveport sometimes but not the winter months. Our children are grown now and the boys have recently returned to Shreveport. They say they could not afford Florida anymore. Our daughter Katherine lives in Tampa with her husband K.D. and they have one son (Desmond) and is expecting again with an expected birth around the end of February. We hope that everyone has a wonderful Christmas with your love ones and stay healthy. See you guys at the next reunion.

Roy and Joyce Graves Gadd

Dear Class of "61,"

May the birth of the Holy Child renew your faith and hope, now and throughout the New Year. God's richest blessings to you and your family. Love to all.

Jerry and Carrol Hanson Cook

Dear Family & Friends,

It is indeed a wonderful opportunity to write the first of, what we hope to be, our yearly family newsletter.

This is the most wonderful year of our lives. In January 2006 Jerry decided he could devote a few hours a week to helping update the class roll and locate missing class members when the class began planning the 45th Fair Park High School Class Reunion. Carrol was one of those members for whom there was no current address. It is amazing how God's Plans work things out that we never expect to occur and when they come about they are so unexpected that they blindside you. Well that is what the call Carrol received from Jerry on January 21st did - it blindsided us. After 13 years being single, Carrol never planned to marry again or even date anyone. Never in a million years did we ever imagine what God had in store for our future. January 23, 2006 was the 1st time we had seen each other since 1962 and yet it seemed as if we had only been apart a week or so. The feelings we had in high school and the 1st year of college were as strong as ever, if not stronger. We both felt that God had put us back together for a purpose. Two months later we were married and that began an adventure in happiness that we had never experienced before. We never knew that anyone could possibly love us so much. We have had a wonderful time the last few months getting reacquainted with each other and learning things which we never knew before. We now have a whole new set of family members with whom we have been blessed and whom we pray we can bless as well.

Needless to say, 2006 will be our most memorable and happiest year ever. The years to come will all be very special in their own right, but none will top this one. We appreciate all the well wishes, encouragement and love from all of you and pray that we can stay closely connected from now on.

At this time of year we each pause to celebrate God's love through His Son, Jesus. It is always thrilling to see the hand of God work but this Christmas season WE can look back and see God's hand at work in so many wonderful ways. It is a blessing indeed to know that the Relationships you have with others are so much more valuable than the Things this world teaches us to seek.

As you spend time with your family members and reflect on the year which is fast growing to a close, we pray, that you too, can see God's hand at work in your lives.

We wish you each the Merriest of All Christmas Seasons and the Happiest of All New Years. May God Richly Bless You and Yours Now and Always.

Bruce and Carol Deville

Greetings,

Well this year has been fruitful and enriching. Back at our reunion during the summer I was fully retired and enjoying that turn in my life. Carol did complain that I was at home too much and needed “something to do.”

Along with her nudging and my feeling like I wasn't doing anything worthwhile, I discovered a new career. I accepted a position at the Louisiana Technical College in Minden. Remember they use to call them “vo-tech.” Today they are a two year associate degree program. My particular interest and background in industrial controls meshed well with the Industrial Instrumentation Program. It is an instructor’s dream, motivated students (18 month waiting list), small classes (10-12), and the ability to control the day to day progress of the class. We get huge amounts of time off, so it still allows Carol and I time to travel.

So a new unseen turn of events in my life, one for the better. Old, tired and said many times, but it's really true, “today is the first day of the rest of your life.” We are blessed with health, healthy kids and healthy grand kids, what more can one ask?

Ruthie Robertson Brown

I would like to wish all the Fair Park High Class of '61 a blessed Christmas and a healthy and peaceful New Year.

Johnny and Brenda McClure Johnson

Hello class of 61,

Christmas Greetings and best wishes to all of you for a wonderful blessed holiday season and a wonderful new year. Johnny and Brenda McClure Johnson are still alive and well living in Shreveport after all these years. Yes, we probably would have won the longest married couple award had we attended the reunion, since we will soon celebrate our 48th anniversary.

We were blessed with 2 great kids, Marilyn, who was born while I finished Fair Park, now lives with her 2 boys and husband in Sugarland, Tx, and Mark and wife and 3 kids live and work here in Shreveport. Our two oldest grandsons are 22 and 21, I can't believe it, but true. Then they go from 19, 16 and 11. No babies anymore.

Johnny is still working, but I retired from the Caddo School Board in 2002, and now get to enjoy myself with my free lance decorating, something I have loved to do for many years and can now really have time to devote to it.

Well, I said we had no babies, Johnny and I have 2 English Bulldogs that are the love of our lives, they require as much attention as babies, but provide much love and devotion to the two of us.

I hope all of you are blessed with good health and much love for the new year.

Gloria Desoto Eubanks

Well it is Christmas time again and this is my first time to tell everyone in the class of 1961 Merry Christmas from my home to yours. It has been a trying year for me but still a happy one. I sure hope the coming one will be much better. It is truly the weather this year for Christmas since it is so cold outside. We may even have a little snow here in Shreveport. It is something I love to see, but do not like to be out in it. Well everyone have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year until the next year.

Henri and Carol Ann Hawkins Deshotels

At this time of the year our thoughts turn toward our blessings that we have received throughout the year. First, our family and friends. Next, our health and certainly not last, Jesus our Savior's birthday. Henri and I hope that each of you have a wonderful holiday season and a great New Year. It is wonderful reading all of your messages. Let's continue doing this in the future. Love, Carol Ann & Henri Deshotels.

Helen Lindsay Rigg

Merry Christmas, everybody !!!! Hope your New Year is happy, with many blessings.

Jerry and Pat Freeman

Merry Christmas to all of my friends and classmates of the Fair Park Class of '61. I certainly have enjoyed renewing our friendship and conversations via e-mail and while using our very own web site for all of us "Indians." May the New Year be fun, loving and memorable for each of you and your families. Treasure the friendships we have developed and family gatherings experienced as life is built upon these events. From the home of Jerry and Pat Freeman in New Mexico, Merry Christmas to all.

Edward (Sugar) Mathes and Lynn Hall

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the next reunion, and no matter what countries I visit Fair Park rules. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you.

Ps - Will think of each of you while lying on the sands of the Black Sea in Romania . . . come join us!! Leaving for the holidays . . . Love to all.

Ron & Fay Cagle Tooley

From Our house to Yours ~ May the Glory of Christmas fill your hearts with Hope, Peace, and Love!

Judy Sewell Wilson

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a very happy and prospersous New Year. Enjoyed seeing everyone at the reunion and hope to see all at our next one.

Jimmy and Linda Mason Gentry

Jimmy and I would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year. God has been so good to us through the years with good health, good friends, and the best church family we could ask for.

John and Sue Scott Gough

Dear Fair Park HS Classmates of 1961,

John & Sue (Scott) Gough would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Hope all of you are doing fine. I really enjoyed my visit with some of you at the 45th Class Reunion this past August. That was the highlight of my 2006 year and I will always remember seeing all of you that were present. It was just too short a visit and wished it could have been longer. It was hard to "catch up" in one night after 45 years have passed us by but, I enjoyed the time we did have.

John & I have three grown "kids" - our oldest son Bobby lives in Georgia with his wife and 4 sons - they have a set of twin boys - Tyler & Travis that just turned 12, Dalton who is 15, and Mitchell who is 18 and attending the University of Alabama.

Our younger son Ricky lives in North Carolina with his wife and a 17 year old daughter named Bethany, and a 13 year old son named Paul.

Our daughter Lisa lives here in Houston with her husband and an 8 year old son named Nicholas, a 7 year old daughter named Christina, a 3 year old son named Alexander, and a 17 month old son named Zachary.

We keep the two younger grandsons quite a lot since they are the only ones not attending school. We also have flown some of the others down here to Houston to spend the summertime with us too! Wished they all lived closer to us but we do try to see them once a year if we can.

We just recently had a pool and spa put in our backyard last year after living where we live for 30 years. It mainly was put in due to me having to do physical therapy each day for my damaged nerve condition in my feet and legs. But, of course the grandkids just love it too and have gotten quite a lot of use out of it!

So, we have been very blessed with 10 grandchildren. They keep us young at heart and we love each and every one of them.

John retired from the telephone company after 36 years in 2000 and I retired from Cypress Fairbanks ISD as an administrative assistant in 2001. We have really been enjoying our retirement so far!

We would not want to have to go back to work for anything - we just love retirement!

We have had a wonderful marriage and life for 43 years. We have so many things to be thankful for in our life.

Hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas holiday and bright new year! May God be with you all and bless you in many ways.

Hollis and Beth Thompson

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas.