Making Memories

If you have attended a Bulldogs '67 reunion party in the past, then you know how special our coming together as a class can be! If you haven't attended a reunion party, then we encourage you to join us and experience it!

Since Harold Washburn "let the Dawgs out" in 1967, we’ve had 11 separate parties to celebrate important anniversaries with our 1967 classmates. Be sure to check out our "Cliff Notes" below...

“I Got You” – James Brown, '65
More than six hundred names are stored in “The Complete ’67 Bulldogs Directory,” identified as current, lost, deceased, reunion attendees, visitors of Classmates.com, or guests from other schools and graduating years.  A 1967 SHS diploma has never been a prerequisite to land on the mailing list.

“Hey Nineteen (‘Way back there, in '67')” – Steely Dan, '80
In 1966-67, class-rank figures were measured against a total of 472 seniors.  Actual graduates on June 6, 1967 totaled 421, according to records given to us by SHS’s office staff.  Fifty-one classmates chose other paths our senior year due to transfers out, insufficient credits, family plans, or military enlistments, as the Vietnam War occupied front-page, headline news.

“Party Lights” – Claudine Clark, '62
Unofficially, 355 classmates and guests have attended our reunions over the past thirty years (10th Reunion attendance is sketchy, and 22nd and 23rd Reunion pool party attendance is missing).  Of those, 197 were actual Bulldog classmates.  Forty years out, 10 are now deceased:  Ardith Anderson Cruz, James Blackburn, Emma Carter, Theresa Cumberlander Williams, Vickie Downes Hamilton, Alan Evans, Charles Marshall, Wanda Ringer Yates, John Stump and Jim West. That means 187 classmates have come home to “put on the dog” with their ’67 classmates.

“Who Let the Dogs Out?” – Baha Men, '00
 “First Timers” show up for all reunions, and we expect to see some at the 40th.  At the 35th Reunion, the following first timers appeared:  Theresa “Terri” Cumberlander Williams, Patricia “Pat” Grubb Rodgers, Charles E. “Chip” Jones, Romerry Scott and Brenda Vinson Murphy. Our guests at the 35th included:  Roosevelt Jr. High teachers Nancy Holloway Essman (Vocal Music) and Otto Smith (Health Science) and their spouses; and South High School teacher Art Malo (Business Courses and Senior Class Advisor) and his wife Marilyn, both of whom were guests at the 10th Reunion.  Mr. Smith, a member of the Maennerchor, rented the facility in his name and saved our class a $50 rental fee.

“Walking The Dog” – Rufus Thomas, '63 
Using our 20th Reunion’s record-high attendance as a benchmark, the 25th Reunion attendance dropped nearly 30 percent; the 30th Reunion attendance another 4 percent; and the 35th Reunion paid attendance about 20 percent more (see Unofficial Attendance). 

Count on running into “The Usual Suspects,” classmates who attend most of the reunions, and their guests; “First Timers,” and their guests; official guests:  teachers and spouses plus the Registration Table staff; and gatecrashers (all reunions, no exceptions).  Along the way, we’ve invited four-legged bulldogs, too:  Bruno, at the 20th, and Emily, the 25th.

“We Will Rock You” – Queen, '78
Classmates can expect surprises at our reunions.  At the 10th, our DJ was WVKO’s Dave Anthony, host of “Inside Out” on Monday nights back then.  Frank Baldwin, SHS Class of ’65, was master of ceremonies and deejay for the 20th,  25th, 30th  and 35th.  Dave Powers, currently the top keyboard entertainer in Columbus, will play Wilson Pickett’s “In Midnight Hour”—and every other tune requested—at our 40th Reunion. Powers will play and disc jockey for us.

The absolute highlight of our 35th Reunion was Jim Heinlein’s horse-drawn carriage rides around Schiller Park on a warm, summer evening.  To this day, classmates speak fondly of Hannah, Heinlein’s horse, and remember the classmates who rode together; Dana Russell and Ron Nincehelser took the last ride of the evening.

“School’s Out” – Gary U.S. Bonds, '61
The Class of ‘67 has gifted South High School through the years—most memorably:  $200 to the SHS Band in ’92, $200 to the school in ’97, and $250 to the SHS Library in ‘02.

“Forty Years Out, Don’t Hold Back” – 40th Reunion Mantra
With every Reunion, the ticket price increases and the number of paid Bulldogs decreases.  Our goal for the 40th Reunion is to flip that trend.  For the first time, the ticket price is lower than at the last Reunion.  Let’s work to increase the number of Bulldogs attending this 40th Reunion!  See you all on August 25!

“Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday” – Stevie Wonder, '69
Check below for party details and unofficial attendance numbers spanning forty years!

               
Our classmates represent the following Columbus elementary schools:
Clairfield, Beck, Deshler, Fairwood, Fulton, Heyl, Hubbard, Kent, Lincoln Park, Leonard, Livingston, Main Street, Mohawk, Ohio Avenue, Pilgrim, Reeb, Scioto Trail, Siebert, Southwood, Stewart Avenue, and Summit Street.  And the following junior high schools:  Barrett (the original South High School), Champion, Franklin, Roosevelt and Mohawk. 

To celebrate forty years as classmates, we will return to the South High school district on August 25, where we last met to celebrate our 35th Reunion, to one of Columbus's oldest private clubs, the Maennerchor. The Reunion Committee has a special evening planned for everyone.

This is our history; this is our legacy; this is our story, built upon a strong foundation of love and respect for one another.

SHS Alma Mater

Do you remember all of the words?
Click here to check out the SHS '71 Senior Choir singing South's Alma Mater, A Cappella.

The photo to the right was taken from the 1967 Lens and features Vocal Music Instructor George Steadman at the piano with a few female members of the A Cappella Choir: Sharon Wells ('68), Toni Gugliemotto, Lynn Wells and Linda Samuels.

NEW! Check out the SHS Fight Song!

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