Welcome to Sycamore High School's (Sycamore, IL), Class of 1956, alumni website. The purpose of this website is to keep you posted on upcoming events and to stir up old memories.
"Don't regret growing older. It's a privilege denied to many."
April Birthdays
19 - Emogene Wilson Butz
April Anniversaries
None
Attendees at Class dinner, 4/24/2023 at Parkway Restaurant. Jacquie, Alta, Jack, Wilda, Orin, Bob, Joe, Linda, Oz & Joyce.
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Monday, September 19, 2022.
Just got back from Illinois after attending our class reunion. As you know, it was the 66th anniversary of our graduation.
As always, it was good to see so many old friends. Ninety-six people graduated in 1956. I was told that 43 of us are still alive. Sixteen of those, many with significant others, made it to the reunion.
Attending were Alice, Alta, Barb, Bert, Elaine, Ethel, Jacqui, Jack, Joe, Joyce, Lois, Orrin, Pat (Crosby), Sally, Sandy, and me (Gene). Joe arranged to have Sharon join us via facetime from Florida. It was nice to see her pretty face again.
I missed not seeing our good friends Bill and Arliss. They are among the most faithful in supporting class functions. Someone said Bill was under the weather. Hopefully it is nothing serious and we'll see them next year.
I can't help but think how fortunate we are to have the Houghs associated with our class. Not only do they provide a place for our reunions, they do the prep work and cleanup. Thanks Alta and Bob. I know I speak for everyone when I say we really appreciate your efforts.
I think we all owe Jack Lindstrom thanks too. He spends a considerable amount of time keeping our class website current. It is, without a doubt, the best class website on the internet. I always stay with Jack and Cheryl when I come to Illinois. They are the most gracious of hosts.
---gene behler
FYI
In the Reflection Section, you’ll find a beautiful, cerebral and introspective vignette called "Waiting” written by Dave Drenckpohl. Dave steps back in time to capture his feelings as he contemplates his graduation from high school. He knows he is leaving the relative safety of his youth and venturing into the real world. That evokes a range of emotions.
This not a piece that someone can simply breeze through. To really appreciate it, a person needs to linger over many of its passages. At times, there is trepidation about the future, others times hope and optimism, and still other times a fond regard for the past. Dave describes it best when he wrote "It was a long, long time ago when what we were to become was a very small seed planted in a vast expanse of possibilities!"
Let us know what you thought of Dave’s vignette and tell us what was going through your mind as you approached graduation. Make comments to Dave's vignette in the Guest Book section. Put “Waiting” in the subject line.
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As some of you may or may not know, Joe has always had a fascination with the railroad. This is something he sent to me after I had emailed him a list of railroad cars that were available for rent throughout the United States, as a place to spend a night or week.
Article by Harold (Joe) Peplow
The great Western never had much of a passenger fleet - they tried with one, the Bluebird right before the depression but that was discontinued in 1931.They were a freight railroad. The one that ran through Sycamore started from Olwein IA and went to Chicago in the morning and returned that night. It was slow since it had to stop everywhere along the line. The equipment wasn’t fancy but it looked like a passenger train from head to tail. The colors were pretty. The power was gas electric - gasoline engine running a generator to supply power to electric motors in the trucks (wheel sets) Wish I could say I rode on it. Pat O’Connor did since his dad worked for CGW. I have a picture I took of Jerry Swanson standing in front of #1009 - the year was probably between 1947-1949.
When John Florent and I were at S.I.U., we rode the Illinois central City of New Orleans a number of times back and forth to C-dale and Chicago. In the 60s, it was a streamliner from head to tail - all the cars were the same color scheme and the observation car at the end had a bar. It was a fast train - 306 miles in 5 hours. fare was $9.33 one way or$16.80 round trip.( I was making $1.00/hour working for the school in various jobs and delivering flowers for a local florist.
A long time ago, but good memories.
