Waco

We went to Waco for the Brown Reunion on the Memorial Day weekend and stayed with our good friends, Aaron and Jane Thomas. We then went on a "round robin trip" to see friends and relatives in North Texas. We returned to Waco the next weekend for Nancy's 60th Waco High School Reunion. Here we are at the first event, a Mexican dinner.

Aaron and Jane (Thomson) Thomas

Our friends, Betsy (Evans) and Larry Pennington - We also visited with them the first weekend and met their daughter, Lori, who is moving into a home 4 doors down from them. Their granddaughter Lori and great granddaughter Grace are expected back from a year in Mexico. The family anticipates the "grands" are moving in with Lori. They are so excited that their children are moving back to Waco!

My good friend since childhood, Suzann Simmons Kendrick

Sander Frindell was in most of my classes and Roger Fleshman was on the debate team with me. It was great to see them again.

Jimmy Dalton

We take a tour of the old Waco High School building, which has been converted to lofts. It's so wonderful that this wonderful use has been made and saved the building from the wrecking ball. The lofts stay full with a waiting list. John graduated from Waco High in 1950 and Nancy in 1951. Nancy's mother and aunt graduated from the same building in 1924 and her 2 uncles before that. Therefore, the building means a lot to us.

Aaron graduated in 1949, Jane and Nancy in 1951

Nancy played with Billie Ruth Thomas (Ruth Thompson) when she was little and they are now good e-mailing friends. Betty Jo Beaszey (Betty McGee) lived across the street from Nancy's grandparents on Morrow and they played together often. Her husband, Del, is sitting in the middle.

This mural depicts activities at Waco High. It is on the stage of the study hall. Besides have a class period here to study, many meetings were held here. Nancy was President of the English Literary Society and the officers sat on the stage. She felt quite important as she presided at the large meetings.

The gym has several lofts. However, the court, goals and scoreboard remain. John practices a shot. (With an imaginary ball and Plexiglas covering the goal, we know it's a 2 pointer!) Our first date was a blind date for a basketball game and John played. As did "step brother" Acy, who was the team star, winning a scholarship to SMU.

We ate lunch here, which is built onto the back of the Liberty Building, where Nancy's Dad had his law office.

The building is now called One Liberty Place.

This is how it looked when her dad was there. It was the corner offices on the 6th floor (right below the ledge). We enjoyed watching the parades going down Austin Avenue from those windows. It was also a great treat to get a bite of lunch at Walgreens. Nancy "worked" there one summer and got to eat lunch at Walgreens every day. Think she probably broke even money wise. Besides answering the phone and greeting the clients, she did get to run across the street to the bank with "important papers". The remainder of the time was spent reading Movie Magazines and polishing her nails.

Citizens Bank is now a Bank of America and is the building with the white columns and tall windows. Nancy's Dad was Head of the Trust Department for a time, the Attorney for the Bank and Secretary of the Board until his death in 1967.

Our house at 2720 Ethel looked wonderful. We were so thrilled that the neighborhood has held up so well. Mother and Dad made a good investment when they purchased this house in 1933.

A new wooden garage has been built. Ours had a flat roof and a dirt floor. The "2 lane" drive is original. The window screen frames look original. The walk from the drive to the porch has been added.

Our house about 1935

John's house on Parrot - Since Norma Sheehy Rhodes bought this house, next door to her parents, and since she was an Interior Decorator, the house looks fabulous.

Nancy and Jane peek in the window of Nancy's Doll House. The Teeling family donated this to the Historic Waco Foundation and it's located behind the Kinnard house and can be seen from Hwy 35 across from Baylor University. We really loved playing in the house. Nancy's mother and aunt had wanted the Doll House when they were little (in the 1910's) and Granddaddy attempted to buy it, but the man wouldn't sell it. After Mother and Daddy married and lived on Ethel, Daddy purchased the land with the Doll House and had the Doll House moved. After Mother's death in 1949, we moved it to Grandmother's for 1 year and then moved it to Daddy and Bobye's house. When they purchased the house on Austin Ave., the Doll House was again moved there. Nancy wanted to move the house to Beaumont, but it wasn't able to withstand the trip and so the family donated it to the Historic Waco Foundation.

The bronze plaque is no longer on the door, but Nancy told the Mayor about it and Betsy Pennington is going to notify the Foundation to replace the plaque.

Here is Mother beside the Doll House when it was on Ethel.

The old suspension bridge was used to move the cattle to market. Our friend, Clifton Robinson, has had these statues built and plans to add more.

Here is a rider and some of the cattle.

We go to the Dr Pepper Museum. We had not been - nor had Aaron, who had seen the plans many times. (Aaron Thomas is a well known architect in Waco.)

One of the old delivery trucks, which is on display in the courtyard.

Dr Pepper syrup was delivered in these kegs in the early days.

Other vehicles displayed

Dr Pepper does NOT have a period after the "Dr". However, this Dr Pepper "Good for Life" bottle, which was used from 1927 - 1950 has a period after the "Dr". We also saw several old signs that had the added "period". We thought it odd that that little bit of trivia was never addressed. Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in the 1880's. Since Nancy's mother and family grew up in Waco, our family had always drunk Dr Pepper and Nancy thought it was sold in all the same places as Coca Cola. She says, "Imagine my surprise when I went to Lynchburg, Virginia to College and ordered a Dr Pepper at our corner Drug Store. They had never heard of it - nor had any of my non-Texas friends. I take great pride that it is now world wide and I continue to think it the best 'cold drink' there is. (We had never heard the terms, 'cola, soda or pop'.)"

We drive all through Cameron Park. Here are Aaron and Jane at Lover's Leap. John proposed to Nancy at Cameron Park and put the engagement ring on her finger.

Rondy and Jackie Hollowell Gray hosted a Hawaiian Luau in their fabulous home. There was a roasted pig, oysters on the half shell, shrimp, chicken, tenderloin steak, a crab dish and every imaginable accompaniament. These huge cakes were just part of the delicious desserts, which included Bananas Foster and Brandy Alexanders.

The table decorations were beautiful real flowers. The drinks included an Open Bar, frozen Margaritas, a frozen pink champagne drink, beer, wine, tea, sodas, etc. served in various shaped plastic glasses with the curly straws.

This is the bar in the kitchen.

These flowers were hanging from the chandelier in the Breakfast Room.

The flowers in the Dining Room

We eat at a large table outside on their large wrap around covered deck, which looks out on the Ridgewood Country Club Golf Course. Rondy and Jackie's home is built on the Fish Pond swimming pool. The Fish Pond itself is now a lovely lake in this gated community. Eunice (Gummelt) and Kenneth Kuehl join us and the Thomases. They are another couple who were a pair in High School and married the year before we did (1953).

Anita (Wetterman) and Hugh Miller came in from Indiana and join us.

Larry and Betsy eat inside.

Pat Landrum Lane and Suzann Simmons Kendrick

(I apologize for taking so few pictures of people and missing our hosts, the Mayor reading the proclamation, the stuffed pig, all of the food and the darling luau plates and decorations. I was having too much fun visiting!)

This is all that was left of the cakes, which were in the Library.

The "Spirit of Waco" lives on and the class of 1951 is extra special. Thanks to the reunion committee and especially Rondy Gray, who has kept us going for these 60 years!

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