Class of 1968 Reunion
Kodaikanal Class of 1968 Reunion by Ted Hornoi-Centerwall
Our class of ’68 held our fiftieth reunion (yea!) at Fort Worden in Washington State from Friday, July 13 through Tuesday, July 17, 2018. The celebration of our first fifty years together was attended by a substantial number of the class, accompanied by their significant others.
Who attended this year’s class reunion? We had 28 people, 19 from our class. Emmy (Riber) Ageros, Verle and Lois Bell, Cam & Jennifer Barbour, Jewel (McMillan) Birdwell, Vivian (Shaw) Childs, Shanta Coleman-Derr & Amanda Pemley, Cheryl (Cox) Dosey, Karen (Chamberlin) & Grahame Deane, Don Fletcher, David Hayward, Paul Heusinkveld, Ted Hornoi-Centerwall & Alla Centerwall, Keith Johnson, Elaine (DeLong) Murray, Lou Riggs, Ted & Janet Scudder, Mike & Shannon Spiller, Barbara (Donaldson) & George Walker and Paul Zorn & Janet Petri.
Although Fort Worden may seem like an exotic place, far away on the shores of Puget Sound and across the Strait of Juan da Fuca from Vancouver Island in Canada, many of us came from equally distant places, some from Canada, and one from Australia. We even speculate that perhaps we might meet in India and then travel on to Australia for a future reunion.
Fort Worden was indeed a scene from a bygone era, with its stark white painted buildings with their forest green trim, somewhat spartan accommodations, and access to a beach and abandoned batteries where massive cannons once overlooked the approaches to Puget Sound.
We did several things during our stay, chief among them sharing Indian dinners and going on excursions to nearby locales. Most of all, we talked. My, did we talk, recalling our classmates, present and absent, as well as our teachers, and the many places we shared: Pillar Rocks, Fairy Falls, Perumal, the Ghat Road, Tope, the Bund and the Market, the Lake and the Boat House. Let’s not forget the Chapel and the Canteen.
Front row: Paul H., Barbara, Elaine, Jewel, Karen, Emmy, Graham (Karen’s husband). middle row: Lois (Verle’s wife), Verle, Ted, Keith, Vivian, Amanda (Shanta’s wife), Shanta, Alla (Ted C’s wife), Janet (Ted S.’s wife), Jennifer (Cam’s wife), Cam. Back row: George (Barbara’s husband), David, Paul Z, Don, Cheryl, Ted C, Shannon (Mike’s wife), and Mike. Missing: Lou – he had already left and Janet (Paul Z.’s wife) who arrived for the photo shoot right after we finished.
Among those who brought those by-gone days back to life was Verle Bell, who on Sunday morning led us in worship that included his thoughts on how we can practice extreme attention and in so doing improve the quality of our lives and those of others we meet. Verle ended with a hymn he had composed, and Elaine also sang a closing hymn as well.
On other of our evening meetings, Dave Hayward led us in song accompanied by his guitar playing. Mike Spiller also contributed with his guitar.
Besides the Indian dinners on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday evenings, we enjoyed hot breakfasts prepared by our fellow classmates at the 334 bungalow. Don & Paul and many others contributed to both the breakfasts and the dinners. The breakfasts were as Indian (well, almost) as the dinners, with chapatis and opom accompanying the spicy eggs and sausage, washed down by chai and coffee. We did have pancakes one morning with bacon & sausage.
On Saturday morning we walked down to the beach, where an extremely low tide had exposed a mass of rocks and tide pools. A guide from the local marine life museum showed us and many other beach visitors with their children what lay hidden in the pools below the floating kelp and seaweed: chitons, anemones, and sea stars. Not to mention hermit crabs and burrowing worms. The only danger was of slipping on the rocks, which we somehow managed to avoid.
Given the chilly temperatures of the ocean entering Puget Sound, swimming was not an option, although some brave souls may have dipped their toes in the frigid waters.
On Sunday we ascended to the heights of the Olympic Mountains, reaching the popular destination Hurricane Ridge, where we observed patches of snow on all the surrounding peaks, as we climbed along the ridge trails. It was warm, even at a height of more than 5,000 feet. The views allowed us to glimpse the many islands between the United States and Canada.
Then, on Monday, many of us went to the Dungeness Spit, a sandy reach into the Strait of Juan da Fuca. It is supposed to be the longest such sandy peninsula in the continental United States. By Monday evening thirteen of us remained to finish off the left-overs from the previous dinners, and even so there was still some left.
To give credit where credit is due, many of us went way above and beyond the call, to make this a successful reunion. Barbara Walker kept us all informed and reminded those who needed it when they should be at Fort Worden and which bungalow they would be staying in. Paul Zorn managed the financial details and urged those who had contributed to the common good to tell him (no receipts please). That deadline is now past, and Paul will get back to us shortly to settle up the bill. David Hayward planned the menu and coordinated the shopping/cooking for the meals. It was a logistical challenge since each dish was prepared in a different house and then all brought together at one house to share. We had enough tables and chairs to set up outside to eat. David also brought a big van and he did much of the driving.
Front row: Ted S, Paul H, Barbara, Elaine, Jewel, Emmy, and Karen. Next row: Keith, David, Vivian, Shanta and Cheryl
Back row: Verle, Paul Z, Don, Ted, Mike and Cam. Missing: Lou
As mentioned above, many people participated in the various evening sharing events. We had rented a large conference room for 2 nights so that we could all be together. Many brought pictures from that time, bringing back memories of Kodai School, its activities and controversies, its characters and stalwart members, and most of all the fun we had together. Isn’t that what it’s all about?
