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Reeling in the years: Class of '78 holds 30-year reunion
By Allen Rich
Jun 16, 2008
They came driving and flying back to North Texas from as far away as Minnesota, Virginia and Florida. And listening to the Bonham High School Class of 1978, you get the impression they just might have walked that far to spend their 30-year reunion together.
In addition to the deep respect this class has for each other, the sheer numbers are equally impressive. Eleven members of this group are deceased, but out of the remaining 157 former classmates, 75 attended events at their 30-year reunion. Including spouses, 122 attended at least one event during the weekend.
In addition to planning this reunion, the Class of '78 has been instrumental in leading the fundraising to make sure a proud Purple Warrior looks down from the new Bonham watertower. As a result of their first solicitation for donations, the Class of '78 collected $1,400 to help paint the Warrior logo on the water tower.
Of course, it all culminated with a special evening at Legacy Ridge Country Club and Chuck Cox gave a glimpse at the history this class shares and still cherishes when he introduced the first speaker.
"I'd like to introduce the 1978 class secretary and my eighth-grade girlfriend, Lisa Almand," Cox said, as laughter ran through the crowd.
The class treasurer, Florida resident Janet Leslie, spoke wistfully of "the gentle hills and green pastureland of North Texas."
Unfortunately, class president Harvey Brackett is one of the 11 former classmates who have passed on, but vice president Jim Ashmore felt the work Russell Armstrong had done, not only for the class reunion but for many other worthy BHS projects, was more than enough to earn a special place among the Class of '78 leaders. The audience applauded as Armstrong was named honorary class president. The class vice president also goes way back with the featured speaker of the evening.
"I'd like to introduce the man who brought the monster defense and the term 'mullet' to Bonham," Jim Ashmore said as he turned the podium over to his father, Nolan Ashmore.
"I appreciate getting invited to the Class of '78 reunion," former principal Nolan Ashmore began. "Most principals don't get invited anywhere!"
It was only too obvious how influential Mr. Ashmore was and still is with this class. It was soon just as obvious there are people making a career out of stand-up comedy that aren't nearly as humorous as Nolan Ashmore at the podium.
"Russell (Armstrong) called and asked me to a Class of '78 reunion," Ashmore said, scratching his head. "I said, 'Did we have a Class of '78?' "
The keynote speaker quickly allayed any fears of a lengthy speech.
"I won't be up here that long," the 1942 graduate of Paris High School told the crowd, "because I can't stand up that long."
Maybe the only thing Ashmore did better than be laugh-out-loud funny was to be breathtakingly serious.
Every generation is presented a challenge that must either be resolved or passed off on their children, the former principal told a rapt audience. This generation is no different.
"You have to solve the energy crisis," Ashmore challenged the ambitious generation that filled Legacy Ridge Country Club. "The people that furnish energy have found we can't do without it."
The former principal recognized some of the outstanding achievements by this class. The Bonham track and field program dominated during the late '70s and two athletes from the Class of '78, Lonell Phea and Terry Perry, were major contributors. The girls basketball team went 0-for in '74 to winning district in '76 with the guidance of coach Mike Reece. The BHS band marched home with a No. 1 rating and Ashmore said the 1978 yearbook was the best the school ever put out.
He challenged the Class of '78 to reflect on what went right and what went wrong in the past 30 years, not only to let that hard-earned knowledge be a rudder for the next 30 years but also to honestly pass that information along so others that follow in their footsteps could avoid those same pitfalls.
"Thanks for letting me come to your reunion," Ashmore said in closing. "Too bad I didn't know any of you...but the food was good."
Along with that last parting shot, the former principal imparted some of his own hard-earned knowledge.
"Put God first," Nolan Ashmore told the Bonham High School Class of '78. "Everything else will take care of itself."
