KHS Alumni and Athletic Hall of Fame - NOMINATIONS NOW IN ORDER

From the latest newsletter of the  KHS Alumni & Friends Call Summer 2018 - the nomination form is on the alumni website, URL below.

 

Outstanding Alumni and Athletic Halls of Fame

 

The Kirkwood High School (KHS) Alumni and Athletic Hall of Fame Selection committees are now accepting online nominations for the Outstanding Alumni Hall of Fame and the Athletic Hall of Fame.

 

The purpose of the Kirkwood Outstanding Alumni Hall of Fame is to honor men and women who have achieved success in some recognized field of endeavor and who would serve as appropriate role models for future Kirkwood High students.

 

The purpose of the Athletic Hall of Fame is to honor and recognize men and women athletes, coaches, or community members who have made significant contributions to KHS athletics.

 

Honorees will be recognized in Spring 2019. The ceremony for the Athletic Hall of Fame will be held February 9, 2019. The ceremony for the Outstanding Alumni Hall of Fame will be held March 30, 2019.

Individuals inducted in the Halls of Fame are listed on the alumni website.at https://mo49000011.schoolwires.net/Page/2944.

 

A NOD TO VIET NAM, A KHS CLASSMATE AND MEMORIAL DAY

From our good KHS65 friend Alan Yount, poet, horn player and bandmaster extraodinaire,  comes a new poem which will be honored in an online publication for Memorial Day.  Kudos to Alan for continually succeeding in having his work published!  I have more of his work to post, just recently able to find time for some of my long-neglected fun activities.  You can visit the journal at:  http://militaryexperience.org/as-you-were-vol-1/ and on the 28th you should see Alan's poem leading off the poetry section.  Note the nod to Craig Schmitz, another Kirkwood boy killed in Viet Nam.

On this Memorial Day, as always, wishing the best for all our classmates who have and continue to serve our country.  Thank you for your service!

WHY DOES THE NIGHT LAST SO LONG

  

the same dreams

sometimes happen over and over …

          in high school

          kissing a girl for the first time:

          the porch lights suddenly go on.

at college, after studying all night:

          falling asleep

          I miss the final.

late for an interview:

finally get there

          I find out it’s the wrong room.

my young daughter, who I still smell

her fragrance, from hugging me:

          slips away, and

          disappears down a crowded street.

some nights, floating

up and out of bed

smothered in covers …

          and I can’t cry out.

down here with craig schmitz

(my high school dance band drummer)

who was killed in vietnam:

          we are forever clawing up a muddy hill

          somewhere north of da nang.

it’s three a.m.

you think you’re awake?

or asleep?

a voice tells you:

          there’s nothing

          you can ever go back to again

          and change in your life

          even in your dreams.

why does the night

                             last so long.

 

If you wish to contact Alan, please let me know, I hesitate to publish his contact info online due to horrible increase in spam and annoying phone calls to which we are all subjected these days.

KHS65 LOSES ANOTHER OF THE GOOD GALS

I have recently been thinking of some of our class literati and plan to post some items written by our classmates.  Jane Edwards (Willis) Wand was one of the authors I plan to quote, and now I have just learned of her recent death.  When I return from the trip to New England I am currently enjoying, I'll get more literature from our classmates posted.  Meanwhile, here is Jane's obituary.  Oh so sad, look at all those kids and grands who will miss her loving ways!

Obituary for Jane Edwards Wand

Jane Edwards Wand, 70, passed away peacefully in her home in Springfield Mo with her husband, Mark, and her children by her side on May 16, 2018. Jane was born July 16, 1947 in Marshall, MO to the late William David (Sam) Edwards and Suzanne (Croswhite) Edwards. Jane is survived by her husband, Mark Wand, her sister Mary Morris of Denver, Colorado, her 7 children: Kevin Willis (Mattia Coleman) of Springfield, David Willis of Springfield, Mary Kathryn (Chris) Brammer of Albuquerque NM, Helen (Lance) Williams of Springfield, Jacob (Jenny) Wand of St. Louis, Andrew (Jamie) Willis of Springfield, and Erica Wand of St. Louis, and her 12 grandchildren Kristen, Christian, Cameron, Billy, Gavin, Suzanne Jane, Evynne, Rowan, Myrtle, Molly, Farrah and Benjamin, and her many nieces and nephews.

Jane graduated from Kirkwood High School in 1965, where she was a Girl Scout and played field hockey, and also enjoyed journalism and writing for the school newspaper and yearbook. Jane was an exchange student in the Union of South Africa her senior year. She went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in Political Science and African Studies from Northwestern University. Jane later earned a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education with emphasis in English. Throughout her life Jane had a wide variety of jobs, including working as a teaching assistant in the Anthropology Department at Northwestern University, a short stint in the production department at Rolling Stone Magazine, and owning a Sign Painting business. After moving to Springfield in 1986, she held various sales and marketing positions with Springfield! Magazine and the Springfield Business Journal, and rehabbed houses in MidTown Springfield. She was also active in PEO, and recently served as president of her chapter. Of all her jobs, Jane would say her biggest and most important job was raising her seven children, and their many friends who called her ‘mom’ too.

Jane loved the smell of the river and enjoyed spending time at Lake of the Ozarks with her beloved husband, Mark. The day they met he had a canoe on his car, and she knew she was in love! Together they sailed around the lake and went on driving adventures through the woods in his Willy’s Jeep. Her admiration of the outdoors started during her Girl Scout years, and from bird watching to hiking, rock hunting, and sitting by a bonfire she shared her love of the outdoors with all who visited, especially her children and grandchildren. She also took pride in showing her grandchildren the wonderful indoor things that she loved such as reading, crafting, cooking and baking. Jane was an avid reader, typically reading multiple books, magazines, and articles all at the same time. Jane will always be known for her big smile, easy conversation, and caring heart. She is someone who truly made everyone feel like somebody.

The memorial visitation will from be 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. with a Rosary Service to begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday May 22, 2018 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. The Memorial Mass will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday May 23, 2018 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church with Fr. Tom Kiefer celebrant. The committal service will follow at Resurrection Cemetery in Springfield, MO under the care of Herman H. Lohmeyer Funeral Home.

Permanent online condolences, stories and photos may be shared at www.hhlohmeyer.com .