Blog 57

Mid-termer II

Here is another photo from the 1951 Monticello of the sophomores arriving in January 1951. Some, like Pat Milam, finished in 1953. It is surprising that many of those who posted to graduate in 1954 have passed on.

Front row: Violet Allen, Patricia Mansell, Mary Lou Klessee, Donald Rooney, Margie Deorah, Florence Menard, James Orneles

Second row: Mary Ellen Domingues, Arlene Dolle, Patricia Milam, Millie Simpson, Mary Lou Briseno, William Gonzales, Alfonso Davila

Third row: Jerry Harris, Doris Gibson, Fritzie Connolly, Bennie Cantu, George Houston, Lucille Lopez.

The Memory Bricks: The first batch of memory bricks have been laid around the flagpole at the main entrance, reports Bob Blake. He and I will go out one day soon and take a few photos. If any of you bought a brick with your name and want a photo, email me jeff-54@satx.rr.com and we will look for it and snap a pic. If there was any inscription rather than your name, be sure to tell me.

The Graduate

Rich Kaufman recently earned a degree at age 79. Reports are that he was diligent enough to be inducted into Phi Theta Kappa, the national honor society for community colleges. Congratulations once again, Rich. From the photo on the left, it appears that graduation in California is a lot more casual than Texas.

Expatriate Dan Winder

Dan is our man in Australia. From Jeff to the University of Florida to the Army was Dan’s path. Then he met and married an Australian and immigrated. Dan took Australian citizenship in 1977. He worked for Qantas and later Chase Manhatten Bank until retirement. Dan says Australia is a great place, which Penny and I can confirm from our three-year stint there from 1968-1971.

Dan’s twin sister Elna (Eleanor) lives in Florida.

Lost phrases

To close out, why don’t any of you intrepid readers post sayings or words that you remember from the distant past but are rarely heard anymore? I will start off with a couple:

1. “Always wear clean underwear, in case you end up in the hospital.” Nowadays, maybe we should just say “Please wear underwear” since a lot of people apparently do not.
   
2. “He robbed the cradle.” This popped into my mind recently when thinking about a spouse of one of our classmates.
   

Post your input.

Blog 56

REMEMBERING CRES:
Rich Kaufman and Marcia Pittman have reported that Cres McFall
passed away on June 6^th in California. Rich had some contact with Cres’ daughter, who speculated that Cres died of a broken heart, following the death of his wife a month earlier. If you are into FaceBook, which I am not, there are some postings and, I understand, a nice tribute to Cres by his daughter, Lauren.

Thinking back, I remember Cres as the drum major of the band. I recall that he chose Principia as his college, because I had never heard of it. I looked it up to discover it is a Christian Scientist school in Illinois.

I don’t remember that Cres ever attended a reunion from the 30^th forward, so I never saw him after graduation. However, I had a bit of correspondence over the years.

Cres missed one reunion because he was attending Olympic trials to see his daughter in synchronized swimming. That may have been the first year synchronized swimming was added as a sport, but memory is rusted. The next reunion, Cres and family were in Greece (I think) as the daughter had made the team. My last contact was at our 53^rd reunion. Cres was visiting his four brothers in New Braunfels. He had promised to drive out to the party at Enchanted Springs Ranch with one of his brothers, but he did not show.

I encourage any of you with memories of Cres to post them here.

The Mid-termer, Part 1
Way back when, those born after September 1 and before February 1 could start school in January, referred to as mid-term. We were called mid-termers and had three options twelve years later as high school seniors:

(a) we could leave school after the fall term, which Connie Mayes and others did;

(b) we could post (stay in school) and graduate the following May, as Carl David Voekel, Tommy Turner and others did;

(c) we could go to summer school and take two credits, just enough to finish a term early, as Patricia Padgett, Jeanine Kliefoth, and many others did, including yours truly. For grins, over the next couple of posts, I will include a photo of these sophomore mid-termers in January, 1951. Here is the first photo. I hope it brings back memories. We were all definitely that young once.

Front row: Ignacia Arocha, Dixie Lee Burd, Dagmar Kilgast, Carl David Voekel, Patsy Brannen, Richard Cummings

Second row: Dorothy Crawford, Neal Hunt, William Miller, Jon Kay Littrell, Nancy Peel, Jim Bob Miller

Third row: Ruby Jane Rhodes, Tommy Turner, Willam Nanez, Connie Mayes, Allen Wilson, John Bennet

Fourth row: Jo An Reeves, Elliot Bilhartz, Pat Conahue, Michael Thompson, Mary Ann Koennig

Blog 55

Lost in the 50s Tonight.
Who remembers the Ronnie Milsap classic? Click here and tune in while reading along. It’s a long URL, but just click on it. It sort of takes you back to the gym and prom night, if you watch the video. If clicking does not work for you, call it up on YouTube.

http://www.bing.com/search?q=ronnie+milsap+lost+in+the+fifties+tonight+(in+the+still+of+the+night)&filters=ufn%3a%22ronnie+milsap+lost+in+the+fifties+tonight+in+the+still+of+the+night%22+sid%3a%223311ebf0-ca3f-fcbc-5e81-e9b72be4af79%22+catguid%3a%2234077d7f-fc6e-47c3-9dad-15b9e29779c1_498707c2%22+segment%3a%22generic.carousel%22+secq%3a%22ronnie+milsap+lost+in+the+fifties+tonight+in+the+still+of+the+night%22+psid%3a%2286715cda-744f-7d74-fd94-37ebd794ac6b%22+supwlcar%3a%220%22+segtype%3a%22U29uZw%3d%3d%22&FORM=SNG1CR&crslsl=1161&efirst=10

So what’s my purpose?
I am not stuck in the past, but nostalgia is good. In the newspaper a month back was an article entitled “The heart of ’80s music is still beating.” The lengthy article describes the enormous and growing popularity of 1980s music making a comeback. The old groups that we may or may not have heard of are doing concerts across the country now. As an example, Duran Duran is coming to San Antonio, and when tickets went on sale, they sold out the auditorium in nine minutes! And immediately added a second show and that sold out. If you are not familiar with Duran Duran, as most of us are not, then just be alerted that groups such as Erasure, The Clocks, Chicago, New Edition, and The Culture Club (Boy George) will probably be playing at a venue near you.

So what?
The news article went on to dissect this phenomenon. A generational expert says, “Nostalgia plays an important role in the 80s trend. Listening to music from an era puts people back in the mindset they were in back then. That makes older people feel a little younger.” GenXers—people in their late 30s to early 50s came of age in the 80s. So, to me, recalling the past just is a bit of feel good.

More Photos from May Luncheon The captions never quite line up with the photos when posted to the website, but I know intelligence wins out and you all can figure these out.

Pat Hileman Sparks & Marilyn Bitsis    Ed Davis and Warner Fassnidge     Sella Muniz Rodriguez & Mary Lou Briseno Davis

Heading Out.
Taking a break now for a couple of weeks and headed to the Maritime Provinces—New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island for scallops, lobster, and sightseeing. If you are avidly watching for my return, you can click on “follow” and register to have these enthralling postings appear in your mailbox. TTFN—text-speak, that is a standard goodbye—Ta Ta for Now. If I recall on return, I will expound on some good Australian expressions.

Kudos To Rich Kaufman

May 28, 2016! Today’s the day that Rich Kaufman crosses the stage for a long-awaited and well-earned degree in Social and Behavioral Science. Rich just proved that it is never too late to do something that means a great deal to you. I was told that Rich has always regretted not getting a degree, so at an age when most people think about sitting back and putting the brain on idle, Rich dug in and got to work to put in a lot of hours studying and in class to earn a degree with honors! Congratulations, Rich. Well done. If any of you all want to be in touch with Rich, let me know and I will send contact information, because I don’t think it appropriate to post on here.

Let’s Hear It from Sam Granato

Sam Granato recently wrote with an update and acquiesced to my posting it here. You all may not be aware that Sam was here for our Sixtieth Reunion a couple of years ago but ended in the emergency room, so none of us knew he was here. Below is his update.

“I am certainly sorry that I missed the 60th reunion. I was so looking forward to it and to introducing my wife to fellow grads,

 As you know, I had to leave the hotel the day after Easter, before the reunion started, to go to the emergency room at the nearest hospital with severe pancreatitis and kidney failure. After an operation, and two weeks of life or death activity, I was finally allowed to leave and fly back to Seattle. Eight hours after arriving in Seattle, I again had to call 911 for a trip to the emergency room for heart/breathing problems (I already had heart double bypass surgery, and the difficulties in San Antonio served to exacerbate my heart problems). After another hospital stay that July, I have been active and well now for a year and counting. Happy to say, I’m feeling great and expect to be around a long time.

 I now serve as a volunteer in my favorite hospital in Seattle, serving as a patient representative on several policy groups. Still help in running the movie theater circuit and stay active as much as possible in many other ways. I’ll miss the reunions, and appreciate all you have done for the class of ’54.”

Sam lives in Washington state, along with several more of our classmates. Off the top of the head, Frank Hagan, David Pitkethly, Ron Arnold, and Deanie Conklin Willman are all “up there.” And I lied a little—I looked at the class directory to find a couple of names for the list.

Something I Just Did

I maintain the class data base, but I don’t look at it all that often. I just did to find names of a couple of Washington residents. It caused me to pause and picture a few faces and wonder how they are doing. This includes our inactive list—about a dozen names of classmates who have asked to be excluded from emails and the like. A couple are for medical reasons, but the others asked to be removed mostly because they feel no connection to the class. One was a very successful retailer who has sent generous gifts for our reunion yet does not want anyone to know her whereabouts. One is a successful surgeon who said he was there for senior year only and don’t really remember anyone, but he was track star. And there is the lady whom many of you ask about but claims that no one remembers her. And so it goes. Don’t ask, because I have teased you but will not embarrass them by revealing the names.

Photos from the April Lunch

Bill Crocker, Rock Mogas, Charlie Griffin                            Marilyn and Soc Bitsis

Whose Home is this?

Among the various photos that have been sent me over the years, this photo below was in the stack. My guess is that someone drove by their old home at one of the reunions and snapped the photo. If you recognize it, let me know. No prize offered. I will send it to anyone who wants it.

+

IN MEMORIUM—Part II

Blog 53

Today, I am posting the obituary of Guy Bragg. Someone recently told me that he had asked Guy about using Guy rather than Tom. Guy replied that the name appeared to offer some advantage when talking with T. Guy. Who can refute it?

Thomas Guy Bragg

Guy was born on December 19, 1936 in Little Rock, Arkansas to Lt. Col. Thomas Bragg II and Freda Bragg. He attended the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Arkansas in pre-medicine and graduated from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences with a medical degree in the field of neurosurgery. He completed his residency at the Baylor College of Medicine in Waco, Texas and Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas. Guy started his practice in Harlingen, Texas with his wife Elizabeth Finney Bragg and they had three children. Guy retired from the practice of Neurosurgery in Austin, Texas in 2006.

Guy is survived by children, Thomas Guy Bragg IV and wife Kristen Couch Bragg, William Finney Bragg and wife Tricia Tottenham Bragg, and by Catherine Bragg McConnell and her husband Stokes McConnell; his sister Kay Farmer; grandchildren, Thomas Guy Bragg V, Stokes O’Neal McConnell, Kathryn Louise Bragg, William Tanner Bragg, Hudson Bragg McConnell, Oliver Green McConnell and Miller Tottenham Bragg. He is preceded in death by his parents.

Guy will be remembered as a top neurosurgeon, having presided as President of the Texas Association of Neurological Surgeons from 1986-1987. Guy will also be remembered as a top breeder of Charolais cattle in Texas as owner/operator of Bragg Land & Cattle Co. He also loved bird hunting and chasing redfish and trout along his beloved Lower Laguna Madre in South Texas with his family.

Private family memorial services will be held.

Obituary and memorial guestbook available online at www.wcfish.com

My father:
Growing up, I recall that my father had a standard blessing he would offer at mealtimes. It started out “In humility our father” and went on and on. Recently, I came across that blessing he had written down as I was once more sorting through old files. It comes to me now that I should be saying, “in humility I come to you to offer a gigantic thank you for the kind words you have been lavishing on me, directly or in the blog.

Sending out the emails with information and doing this blog is not part of an ego trip for me. I do enjoy your thanks, but even without them, I would keep you posted as long as I thought people were paying attention. Retired and somewhat computer capable, I have the time.

The response to the notes posted on the speaker has been enormous. After first posting, there were 118 view and 119 the next day, compared to 20-30 prior. Some of those may have been repeat trips because I unintentionally post the comments more than once.

So thank you for your kind comments.

Shades of Mattie Sharp Brewer:
You may have noticed some italicized words in the second paragraph. One thing I learned over the years in business, and something I always told my sales staff is never speak or write in the conditional tense. It weakens what you are saying. I break my rule occasionally as you can note above.

Blog 52

Ten Little Indians (And then there were none):
That was the title of what many consider Agatha Christie’s greatest book. It is probably not politically correct today, but it comes to mind as we acknowledge a couple more of our classmates passing away. Most of our classmates still standing have passed the eightieth landmark, but the deaths are coming more frequently.

Today and next time I will post obituaries for Byron LeFlore and Guy Bragg.

Byron Louis Leflore

February 6, 1936 – March 8, 2016Byron Louis LeFlore, a lifelong resident of San Antonio, died surrounded by his loving family on March 8, 2016 in San Antonio. Born February 6, 1936, Byron attended St. Anthony’s Catholic School, Central Catholic and Jefferson High Schools and graduated from the University of Texas with a BBA in Finance (’59). After college, he worked with his father and brother in the family’s downtown bank, Mission City Bank. When the family sold the bank, he continued his banking career as a Senior Vice President at the National Bank of Commerce before becoming President and CEO of Bexar County National Bank for almost 10 years through its merger Republic Bank. In 1982, he returned to his roots in independent, community banking as President and CEO of Jefferson State Bank (now Jefferson Bank), guiding it through almost two decades of outstanding stability and growth. Upon his retirement in September 2001, he was named Chairman Emeritus and continued to serve on the board as a director and in-house committee member for another 10 years. Byron was a former Chairman of the Board of Texas Independent Bank, headquartered in Dallas, and of the Independent Bankers Association of Texas, and was a respected and well-known spokesman for independent banking at both the state and national levels. He also served on the Commissioner’s Council for the Texas Department of Banking. In addition to banking, Byron was active in his community and his church throughout his adult life and served as President or Board Chairman of many organizations including the Fiesta San Antonio Commission, UTSA College of Business Advisory Council, Centro 21, Madonna Neighborhood Center, Central Index (forerunner to “Elf Louise”), and the San Antonio chapters of the Traveler’s Aid Society, the American Heart Association , the Council of Christians and Jews, and the Knights of St. Gregory the Great. He assisted many church and charitable groups in fundraising and financial planning and was a longtime Trustee of the University of the Incarnate Word and friend to the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. He also served on the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Byron was a former President of the San Antonio German Club, Conopus Club, Christmas Cotillion Club, Beta Theta Pi Alumni Club, Texas Beta Student Aid Fund, St. Anthony Club and was also a member of the Texas Cavaliers, the Order of the Alamo, the Order of Alhambra, and St. Charles Bay Hunting Club. He was a longtime parishioner of St. Peter Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church. Byron had a wise sense of humor and kind heart that he shared with the world. His many interests included fishing, hunting, cooking, gardening, sports, music, and traveling. He loved taking his family up to UT football games in the fall and down to Rockport for fishing trips every summer. Observing the cattle graze and deer run at his ranch in Comfort made him happy. In 1959, Byron escorted Kathryn Ann Barragan for her debut with the San Antonio German Club. They married in 1962. For the next 53 years, they laughed and supported one another as true soulmates, raising four children together. As a husband and father and grandfather, Byron provided abundantly for his family, especially through his profound love for all of them as individuals, and his lifelong example of Christian faith. Byron was preceded in death by his parents, Margaret Byron LeFlore and Louis LeFlore, by his mother who raised him from the age of six, Katherine Zoeller LeFlore, by his sister, Barbara LeFlore Boxwell Hockstadt and by Barbara’s son Byron Boxwell. He is survived by his wife, Kathryn Barragan LeFlore and by his four children and their spouses: Byron Jr. and Kathleen LeFlore, Elizabeth and Will Langmore, James (Jimmy) and Joy LeFlore, and Campbell and Elizabeth LeFlore, and by his six grandchildren (Byron III and Kaitlyn LeFlore, Milo Langmore, Haly and Audrey LeFlore, and Adele LeFlore). He is also survived by his brother John LeFlore and wife Betty and their daughters Jeanne Tatum (and husband Kelvin) and Katherine Smelko (and husband John), and by his sister Barbara’s sons Steven and Bevin Boxwell.Byron will lie in state on Saturday, March 12th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at Porter Loring on McCullough. MASS OF THE RESURRECTIONMONDAYMARCH 14, 201611:00 AMST. PETER PRINCE OF THE APOSTLESCATHOLIC CHURCH111 BARILLA PLACE. Interment in Sunset Memorial Park. Pallbearers will be Milton E. Allison Jr., Arthur H. Bayern, Stanton P. Bell, Charles C. Butt, Bartlett Cocke Jr., Huard H. Eldridge, William Fitch, Frank G. Huntress III, Steve C. Lewis, Albert M. McNeel Jr., Paul E. McSween III, Richard B. Moore, Scott Petty Jr., Mark E. Watson Jr., and James P. Zachry. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Byron’s name to the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word-San Antonio, 4707 Broadway, San Antonio, TX 78209; or to the Texas Cavaliers Charitable Foundation, Post Office Box 6927, San Antonio, TX 78209. You are invited to sign the Guestbook at www.porterloring.com

I Don’t Need Money:
Thanks to all who offered to send money to help defray the costs of this blog, but I am afloat. I mentioned that I am spending $2.17 per month, but for a limited time. My total investment is $13, which is within my monthly income level. I had thought some of my all too dry humor would shine through, but I sent it on a totally overcast day.

Blog 51

The complete comments by our speaker at the Jeff lunch on April 7 will take all of today’s space. Even if you heard these comments in person, I think they will still thrill you if you read them again. Dr. John Frederick is a Jeff alum, 1976, and it presently the Prevost and VP of Academic Affairs at UTSA (the University of Texas at San Antonio). Here goes:

Thomas Jefferson High School Class of 1954 Reunion

April 7, 2016

 John H. Frederick ‘76

Thank you for the kind introduction, and good afternoon. I am very honored to be with you today to share some reflections on the great legacy of Thomas Jefferson High School and the power of education. As a 1976 graduate of Jefferson, and as chief academic officer at UTSA, where we are striving to create a top-tier university, these are themes very close to my heart.

 Although I am a chemist by training, I have always loved to read about history, so I would like to start by considering the historical context of Jefferson High School’s origins. From 1920 to 1930, the population of San Antonio grew by 43% to 230,000. At this time, the country was in the throes of the Great Depression, and San Antonio’s two public high schools, Main Avenue HS (now Fox Tech) and Brackenridge HS were experiencing acute overcrowding, particularly Main Avenue.

 To address the school overcrowding and in an effort to stimulate the local economy, the City of San Antonio passed a $3.7 million school bond that year to create a third high school on the far north side. Ultimately, one-third of the bond issue was devoted to the construction of Thomas Jefferson High School, an extravagant expenditure in its day. The school’s Spanish-Moorish design by architects Adams and Adams includes elaborate stonework features carved by the Pianta family of artisans, a large 2000-seat auditorium (equivalent to the combined capacity of both venues within the Tobin Center), and many other decorative features in its interior. In short, San Antonio created a high school like no other in the country— and I think you will agree that it remains one of the most strikingly beautiful high school buildings that one will find anywhere in the world.

 The initial group of 1,400 students chose the school’s name, its colors (blue and red), and the mustang mascot, as well as many other time-honored traditions that survive to this day (including the Lassos, band, ROTC, etc.). Within five years of its opening in 1932, Jefferson High School was named the most outstanding high school in America, and it was featured on the cover of Life magazine in 1938 (March 7 issue). For all of us who remember Life magazine, we can appreciate what a really big deal it was to appear on the cover!

 Over the years, Jefferson High School has produced many notable alumni in a wide range of professions, including public servants, journalists, educators, scientists, athletes, musical artists, and military leaders. Rather than recite a long list of names, let’s make this fun! I will let you ponder for a few minutes the answers to the following Jefferson HS trivia questions:

1. Which high school in San Antonio is named for a Jefferson HS graduate? 

2. Who is the biggest Grammy award winner from Jefferson since 2000? 

3. Which Jefferson graduate has participated in presidential debates in the greatest number of election years? 

4. What accomplishments by alumni give Jefferson HS a scientific distinction that is unique in the world? 

5. Can you name the alumnus of Jefferson who is among the top ten lawyers in the number of cases argued before the Supreme Court since 1900?

 While you consider these brain-teasers, I would like to introduce you to a couple of individuals who attended Jefferson High School during its first decade of its existence, Lillian Dunlap and John Silber. They are lesser-known to the public, but giants in their respective professions.

 Lillian Dunlap graduated from Jefferson in 1940, and by 1942 had earned a Nursing degree. Recall that this was only months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, so she enlisted in the Army as a nurse, and was stationed in New Guinea, the Admiralty Islands, and the Philippines, some of the most intense “hot spots” during the heart of the Pacific War. Later, after many years and a series of promotions and appointments to positions of greater and greater responsibility, she was named Chief of the Army Nurse Corps and promoted to Brigadier General, the rank she held at her retirement in 1975, one of the first women to hold the rank of general.

 Lillian was decorated many times for her bravery, service, and devotion to the profession and education of nursing, including being named an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Nursing and induction into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame. But perhaps the most interesting tribute to her life’s work is the fact that one of the San Antonio river barges is named for her: “The General Lil.”

 John Silber was a couple of years younger than General Dunlap, but also achieved great distinction, some might say “notoriety,” in his chosen career. After his graduation from Jefferson in 1943, Silber studied Philosophy at Trinity University, then attended Yale University where he earned a Ph.D. in the late 1950’s. By 1960, he had returned to Texas and taught at UT Austin, ultimately becoming the Dean of Arts and Sciences there. In this position, he played a key role in recruiting high-caliber faculty and transforming the university into one of the top educational institutions in the world, while also advocating for liberal causes, not an easy thing to do in Texas!

 In 1970, Dr. Silber became President of Boston University, a position he held for more than 25 years, an uncommonly long tenure, followed by six years as chancellor of BU. Silber continued to advocate for causes in Massachusetts, though his causes now reflected a more conservative outlook. As a result, Silber was known throughout his life for his combativeness and his strong advocacy for a variety of causes spanning the political spectrum. Like General Dunlap, his legacy is marked by a naming— in this case, a street on the BU campus is named for him. I should mention parenthetically, that the current president of Boston University, Robert Brown, is also a graduate of the SAISD, having attended Highlands HS.

 So why do I bother to highlight these two individuals? Both Lillian Dunlap and John Silber made the most of the strong educational foundation that they received at Jefferson High School to leave the world a better place than they found it, despite coming from humble origins. In each case, their education extended beyond high school, and in each case, they advocated for improvements in education and for the power of individuals to make a difference. Their names are not household names, nor will you find them featured in any history books, but through their lives they were committed to helping others.

 Let’s return now to our trivia quiz: which high school in San Antonio is named for a Jefferson HS alumnus? Most are named for famous American statesmen/presidents, judges, or for geographic districts. In this case, however, the answer is “Robert G. Cole HS,” named after General Cole, a commander in the D-Day invasion of Normandy and one of the earliest graduates of Jefferson.

 How about the largest Grammy Award winner since 2000? A well-known Jefferson graduate with a Grammy win in 2000 is Chris Perez, who was also lead guitarist for Selena y Los Dinos and was married to Selena. And alumnus Gilbert Velasquez has won a half-dozen Grammys for albums he has engineered over the past 15 years. However, the biggest Grammy award winner (in the literal sense) was Jefferson HS itself, which won the Grammy Signature School Award winner in 2010 for the excellence of its music education programs.

 And which graduate has participated in presidential debates? If you are thinking of a politician, you are on the wrong track— it is Jim Lehrer, who has moderated presidential debates for many years, most recently in 2012, and is also the former anchor of the PBS News Hour. Lehrer has been a long-time fixture as a national news reporter, and is also the author of several books of fiction, including my favorite, Viva Max!

 What is the unique scientific distinction held by Jefferson HS? Jefferson is the only high school in the world that can boast two graduates who have won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Robert Curl (Rice University) in 1996, and W.E. Moerner (Stanford University) in 2014. At one time, I dreamed of being the pre-eminent chemist to come from Jefferson, but I am afraid that now I cannot do any better than third best!

 Finally, who is Jefferson’s distinguished Supreme Court advocate? I must confess that I had some inside information on this one, because you are not likely to find this bit of trivia listed anywhere. The answer is David Frederick, who has argued nearly 50 cases in the Court over the past 18 years, and had one argument 10 days ago representing Europe, and another next week. He also happens to be my little brother, and I am quite proud of him!

 Thomas Jefferson High School has an enduring legacy of greatness, and a physical campus now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As a student, I felt drawn to the traditions and the history of the school, and inspired by its magnificent design— just walking down the main hallway made me want to live up to the expectations of excellence.

 I close by observing, if we are to excel as a community and fulfill the dreams of those who first declared and then fought for independence, we need a first-class public system of education. We must continue to inspire our students to great acts, to generous deeds, and to courageous convictions. I believe the true lesson of Thomas Jefferson High School is that when talented students are given an opportunity to learn and to be inspired, they can do amazing things. Thank you!

Blog 51

The complete comments by our speaker at the Jeff lunch on April 7 will take all of today’s space. Even if you heard these comments in person, I think they will still thrill you if you read them again. Dr. John Frederick is a Jeff alum, 1976, and it presently the Prevost and VP of Academic Affairs at UTSA (the University of Texas at San Antonio). Here goes:

Thomas Jefferson High School Class of 1954 Reunion

April 7, 2016

 John H. Frederick ’76

Thank you for the kind introduction, and good afternoon. I am very honored to be with you today to share some reflections on the great legacy of Thomas Jefferson High School and the power of education. As a 1976 graduate of Jefferson, and as chief academic officer at UTSA, where we are striving to create a top-tier university, these are themes very close to my heart.

Although I am a chemist by training, I have always loved to read about history, so I would like to start by considering the historical context of Jefferson High School’s origins. From 1920 to 1930, the population of San Antonio grew by 43% to 230,000. At this time, the country was in the throes of the Great Depression, and San Antonio’s two public high schools, Main Avenue HS (now Fox Tech) and Brackenridge HS were experiencing acute overcrowding, particularly Main Avenue.

To address the school overcrowding and in an effort to stimulate the local economy, the City of San Antonio passed a $3.7 million school bond that year to create a third high school on the far north side. Ultimately, one-third of the bond issue was devoted to the construction of Thomas Jefferson High School, an extravagant expenditure in its day. The school’s Spanish-Moorish design by architects Adams and Adams includes elaborate stonework features carved by the Pianta family of artisans, a large 2000-seat auditorium (equivalent to the combined capacity of both venues within the Tobin Center), and many other decorative features in its interior. In short, San Antonio created a high school like no other in the country— and I think you will agree that it remains one of the most strikingly beautiful high school buildings that one will find anywhere in the world.

The initial group of 1,400 students chose the school’s name, its colors (blue and red), and the mustang mascot, as well as many other time-honored traditions that survive to this day (including the Lassos, band, ROTC, etc.). Within five years of its opening in 1932, Jefferson High School was named the most outstanding high school in America, and it was featured on the cover of Life magazine in 1938 (March 7 issue). For all of us who remember Life magazine, we can appreciate what a really big deal it was to appear on the cover!

Over the years, Jefferson High School has produced many notable alumni in a wide range of professions, including public servants, journalists, educators, scientists, athletes, musical artists, and military leaders. Rather than recite a long list of names, let’s make this fun! I will let you ponder for a few minutes the answers to the following Jefferson HS trivia questions:

1. Which high school in San Antonio is named for a Jefferson HS graduate? 

   
2. Who is the biggest Grammy award winner from Jefferson since 2000? 

   
3. Which Jefferson graduate has participated in presidential debates in the greatest number of election years? 

   
4. What accomplishments by alumni give Jefferson HS a scientific distinction that is unique in the world? 

   
5. Can you name the alumnus of Jefferson who is among the top ten lawyers in the number of cases argued before the Supreme Court since 1900?
   

While you consider these brain-teasers, I would like to introduce you to a couple of individuals who attended Jefferson High School during its first decade of its existence, Lillian Dunlap and John Silber. They are lesser-known to the public, but giants in their respective professions.

Lillian Dunlap graduated from Jefferson in 1940, and by 1942 had earned a Nursing degree. Recall that this was only months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, so she enlisted in the Army as a nurse, and was stationed in New Guinea, the Admiralty Islands, and the Philippines, some of the most intense “hot spots” during the heart of the Pacific War. Later, after many years and a series of promotions and appointments to positions of greater and greater responsibility, she was named Chief of the Army Nurse Corps and promoted to Brigadier General, the rank she held at her retirement in 1975, one of the first women to hold the rank of general.

Lillian was decorated many times for her bravery, service, and devotion to the profession and education of nursing, including being named an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Nursing and induction into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame. But perhaps the most interesting tribute to her life’s work is the fact that one of the San Antonio river barges is named for her: “The General Lil.”

John Silber was a couple of years younger than General Dunlap, but also achieved great distinction, some might say “notoriety,” in his chosen career. After his graduation from Jefferson in 1943, Silber studied Philosophy at Trinity University, then attended Yale University where he earned a Ph.D. in the late 1950’s. By 1960, he had returned to Texas and taught at UT Austin, ultimately becoming the Dean of Arts and Sciences there. In this position, he played a key role in recruiting high-caliber faculty and transforming the university into one of the top educational institutions in the world, while also advocating for liberal causes, not an easy thing to do in Texas!

In 1970, Dr. Silber became President of Boston University, a position he held for more than 25 years, an uncommonly long tenure, followed by six years as chancellor of BU. Silber continued to advocate for causes in Massachusetts, though his causes now reflected a more conservative outlook. As a result, Silber was known throughout his life for his combativeness and his strong advocacy for a variety of causes spanning the political spectrum. Like General Dunlap, his legacy is marked by a naming— in this case, a street on the BU campus is named for him. I should mention parenthetically, that the current president of Boston University, Robert Brown, is also a graduate of the SAISD, having attended Highlands HS.

So why do I bother to highlight these two individuals? Both Lillian Dunlap and John Silber made the most of the strong educational foundation that they received at Jefferson High School to leave the world a better place than they found it, despite coming from humble origins. In each case, their education extended beyond high school, and in each case, they advocated for improvements in education and for the power of individuals to make a difference. Their names are not household names, nor will you find them featured in any history books, but through their lives they were committed to helping others.

Let’s return now to our trivia quiz: which high school in San Antonio is named for a Jefferson HS alumnus? Most are named for famous American statesmen/presidents, judges, or for geographic districts. In this case, however, the answer is “Robert G. Cole HS,” named after General Cole, a commander in the D-Day invasion of Normandy and one of the earliest graduates of Jefferson.

How about the largest Grammy Award winner since 2000? A well-known Jefferson graduate with a Grammy win in 2000 is Chris Perez, who was also lead guitarist for Selena y Los Dinos and was married to Selena. And alumnus Gilbert Velasquez has won a half-dozen Grammys for albums he has engineered over the past 15 years. However, the biggest Grammy award winner (in the literal sense) was Jefferson HS itself, which won the Grammy Signature School Award winner in 2010 for the excellence of its music education programs.

And which graduate has participated in presidential debates? If you are thinking of a politician, you are on the wrong track— it is Jim Lehrer, who has moderated presidential debates for many years, most recently in 2012, and is also the former anchor of the PBS News Hour. Lehrer has been a long-time fixture as a national news reporter, and is also the author of several books of fiction, including my favorite, Viva Max!

What is the unique scientific distinction held by Jefferson HS? Jefferson is the only high school in the world that can boast two graduates who have won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Robert Curl (Rice University) in 1996, and W.E. Moerner (Stanford University) in 2014. At one time, I dreamed of being the pre-eminent chemist to come from Jefferson, but I am afraid that now I cannot do any better than third best!

Finally, who is Jefferson’s distinguished Supreme Court advocate? I must confess that I had some inside information on this one, because you are not likely to find this bit of trivia listed anywhere. The answer is David Frederick, who has argued nearly 50 cases in the Court over the past 18 years, and had one argument 10 days ago representing Europe, and another next week. He also happens to be my little brother, and I am quite proud of him!

Thomas Jefferson High School has an enduring legacy of greatness, and a physical campus now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As a student, I felt drawn to the traditions and the history of the school, and inspired by its magnificent design— just walking down the main hallway made me want to live up to the expectations of excellence.

I close by observing, if we are to excel as a community and fulfill the dreams of those who first declared and then fought for independence, we need a first-class public system of education. We must continue to inspire our students to great acts, to generous deeds, and to courageous convictions. I believe the true lesson of Thomas Jefferson High School is that when talented students are given an opportunity to learn and to be inspired, they can do amazing things. Thank you!

Blog 50

The original intent of these postings was to hype our 60^th reunion two years ago this month. I was not sure about starting these blogs again after a year or so since last effort, but now and again someone asks or encourages to continue. So I will give it another shot, aiming for one or two efforts a week—for now.

Two recent queries
from the postings might interest you—or not. Eight or so months ago, a message arrived from the organizer of the Miss San Antonio pageant, asking about one of our classmates who was crowned Miss San Antonio of 1954 and later competed in the Miss Texas pageant. He was updating pageant archives and sent a cover story from the front page of the newspaper. The print is illegible, but if I can find a way to translate it, I will post it later on. Did you all know that our own Sarah Belcia
was crowned Miss San Antonio soon after we graduated? I did not. A year after that, Sarah was selected as Miss Wool, which I think she found far more rewarding. If I find the time and Sarah is willing, I will get more information about her two reigns.

The other contact was recently from the sister of Virginia Joyce. Virginia is alive and well and living in Lufkin. She is not adept at the computer, so you will not be hearing from her, but know that she is well.

Jeff Lunch:
The lunch at La Fonda on April 7 was top notch. We met on the back patio in the middle of a perfect April Day. Just under 70 attended and had a great time judging from the many positive comments. I will post photos on here that Patsy Patterson
sent along. Patsy has been great about sending photos from just every event over the past thirty years.

We concluded the lunch with a guest speaker, Dr. John Frederick, who is the Provost and VP for Academic Affairs at UTSA (The University of Texas at San Antonio). He entertained us with a lot of information about Jeff that I certainly did not know. I will post his comments in the next blog.

Classmate deaths:
Here is sad news about the loss of two classmates: Byron LeFlore
passed away on March 8, 2016 and Guy Bragg
died on May 2, 2016. I will download the obituaries and post them in the near future. Thanks to Jeanine Kliefoth Price and Patricia Bryant
for alerting me about Guy. If anyone wants to post a comment in either guest book on the funeral home website, please advise me.

Photos from the lunch:

Patsy Hatch Patterson & Patty Ramby Nevitt             Bobby Tate & Danny Sciaraffa             Sam Bell & Dottie Schwope Griffin

Back in the Saddle: Shades of Gene Autry. Gene did not compare to Roy Rogers in my book, but he was definitely ahead of Hopalong Cassidy and Lash LaRue. Of course, I will never forgive him for composing and singing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. That and Frosty the Snowman are on my all-time most-hated Christmas season songs. If you want to hear Gene Autry (and maybe sing along?), click on the site below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5F-O_19lSI

So, stay tuned for more to come.