The Buffalo Den

Does everyone remember the Buffalo Den? I'm looking for a photo of it to post on our web site. If you have one (or more), or know where you can get one, please share it with all of us. We had many great meals and lots of fun there. It deserves a place on our web site.

Messages to Classmates

Have you wished you could contact someone in your class? Ask them where they are now? Ask them how they've been? Just say "hi" or "call me"? Use the "Comment" link below and leave a message for anyone in our class. I can't guarantee they will check the site and answer you, but as time goes on, more and more friends will learn about this feature and visit frequently. Anything new takes a while to catch on. Remember that everyone can see your messages. I don't recommend posting your phone number or home address. I can help you connect with each other.

Kemah Boardwalk After Ike

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23617894@N06/sets/72157608034599532/

Visit the link above to see photos of Kemah Boardwalk just a couple of days after Hurricane Ike. You can click on the slideshow icon in the upper right corner of the photo page.

Rodney Crowell in Houston

Melanie Ransom, CLASS OF '72, has posted some news:
Rodney Crowell will appear at McGonigel's Mucky Duck on November 10 & 11 at 7:30 p.m. Ticket price is $30 each. Mucky Duck's is located at 2425 Norfolk, Houston, Texas 713-528-5999

If any of you go see him, please try to get his current mailing address for future reunions. If that doesn't work, please try to give him one of our phone numbers. Tell him that we are planning to reschedule our forty year reunion for next year, possibly in the spring.

Kemah Boardwalk After Ike

Click on the pictures to enlarge them for greater detail and a good feel for how large the shrimp boat is.

Buffalos,

I toured the Kemah Boardwalk this weekend and was surprised at the renovation that has already been completed. Two restaurants, Babin's and Saltgrass, are already open and bustling with business. The flower beds have already been replanted with beautiful flowers and plants and the parking lot and sidewalks are sparkling clean.

There was a literal army of people working on repairing the many rides, sweeping the plaza, removing debris and working inside the restaurants that experienced the greatest damage, the Aquarium, the Cadillac Bar & Restaurant, Joe's Crabshack, the Flying Dutchman, and the others that had high water inside. Debris piles were many feet high behind green fencing and ready to be picked up and hauled off. The marina looked fine. The adjacent streets lined with shops were also packed with workers removing downed trees and rebuilding the shops and homes.

A Boardwalk employee told me that they are working hard to re-open in time for Spring Break. From the looks of things this weekend, I'm convinced they will make it, and perhaps re-open earlier than that.

Galveston Island is another story. There was utter devastation there. Some businesses and homes fared pretty well, while others were destroyed. I had lunch at Landry's on Seawall Blvd. and they had no damage at all. The Rainforest Cafe and Guido's are also open. Just down the road, seashell shops were gone. The seawall was littered with boulders that washed up onto the sidewalk and street, over a wall that is sixteen feet high. I tried to move one and it didn't even wiggle the tiniest bit. That's how large and heavy they are.

If you attended our reunion at Moody Gardens five years ago, you may have eaten at Willie G's on Harborside behind the Strand. The parking lot where you parked your car now has a huge shrimp boat parked there, smashing the booth where you paid your parking fee. I could hardly believe my eyes. However, I had already seen many, many boats of large size tossed all along I-45 coming into Galveston. It's a very strange feeling to be driving down I-45 alongside huge boats that should be in the water somewhere else.

The cleanup in Galveston has progressed quickly, considering the amount of devastation. They had an enormous task just clearing the roads so that workers could get in there.

Travelling down the island toward the west, and especially when you arrive in Jamaica Beach, the scene gets much worse. They are not protected by the seawall and the cleanup by city officials hasn't reached that far out yet. It is stunning. The high sand dunes that once stood between the beach and the first row of houses is removed across the main road and piled high down both sides. I drove through a tunnel of sand piles as high as my SUV for a long stretch.

I saw three FEMA stations where people were getting ice and water and paperwork done. The Salvation Army was everywhere, at the FEMA stations and driving around all over the city looking for people who needed their help. They fed as many as needed it. On the corner along Broadway, an organization set up tents, tables and chairs and many large barbeque grills. The sign read, "Free meals at 3:00. From Jesus with Love." They still had guests at 6:00 p.m. God bless these wonderful people.

Galveston has changed dramatically, but they are on their way to coming back better than they were before. Their goal is to be ready for Dickens on the Strand in December. I wonder if they can make it. They have the spirit and the will, but the task at hand is so enormous. There are hand painted signs around town that say things like, "We will rebuild. We're coming back, bigger and better. Galveston will rise again." I believe it and I can hardly wait. I miss Galveston already. The little city was like a grand lady on the shore of Texas. A jewel on the "outskirts" of Houston.

CLASS REUNION CANCELLED!

I'm sorry to say that we have to cancel our 40 year class reunion. Hurricane Ike took out the Kemah Boardwalk on September 12/13. It will be weeks, perhaps months before the Boardwalk is rebuilt and ready to entertain anyone. You should cancel your hotel reservations as soon as possible. Some have been able to cancel online. As of today, there is no electric power in the area and no one knows when it will be restored, so cancelling online may be the only way to do it.

We will plan another reunion. The earliest possibility is next spring, but it may be later. If the Kemah Boardwalk rebuilds in time, we will consider it again. We will also consider other places.

I am returning the checks of those who mailed in their reservations as soon as possible.

This web site will continue to be a source of information and will be updated whenever there is anything new to report or announce. Snail mail letters will go out to those who don't have email and emails will go to those who have them. This will inform everyone of this canellation and any new plans in the future.

If you have any suggestions or would like to volunteer to help, please contact BettyJo or Rhonda. We welcome your input and help. We will see you next year and keep in touch until then.

Map to Kemah Boardwalk

Google your way to the Kemah Boardwalk for our 40-year CHS class reunion.

No Curfew!

Forty years is a long time, but it went by so quickly. I turned around and it was time to plan our forty year class reunion. Wow. Well, let's make this the most memorable celebration we have ever had. Let's all work to have the largest turnout ever. Please plan to come, and take a few moments to call your friends and ask them to meet you there, to remember all the things you did together and all the things you shared. Check our Strayed from the Herd list and help us find them. I'm really looking forward to being with all of you, JUST LIKE OLD TIMES - except now WE have the checkbook and we don't have a curfew. :) Go Buffs!

Strayed from the Herd

The following people have strayed from the herd.

Jackie Abbott
Ralph Breen
John Bryant
Bill Cook - FOUND
Ricky Crockett
Rodney Crowell
Danny Jordan
Loralee Tharp Orell
Patsy Marshall Moon
Jackie Phillips
Ronald Poteet
Buddy Reed - FOUND
Rose Marie Romine Randolph
Susan White Williams

Please help us corral these buffs back into the fold.

Volunteers Sign Up

Please sign up here if you want to help with our class reunion. We need help locating Buffaloes who have strayed from the herd and help with designing a theme and decorating.