The Class of '61
Full of promise, school spirit, a little mischief, and a lot of memories
Cindy Boykin

50 years later and they're still Wildcats through and through



The summer of 1960 was a hot one, maybe not a scorcher like this summer, but 95-degree days were the norm.

There would be no air conditioning when school started for the 45 seniors who would be the last to graduate from the old Plano High School building in downtown Plano. Teachers would open windows, maybe have some fans.

Janis (Frye) Allman breaks into a smile as she remembers one particularly steamy room in the lower part of the school. "That was where we had our typing class," Janis recalls. "Mrs. Frost was our typing teacher. When we were in there taking lessons, you would take the typewriter cover and put it on your head because the gnats were so bad. It's a wonder any of us learned to type. And hot! Oh my word. Hot, hot!"

But this July, the warmth these former classmates felt inside that same building at their 50th reunion was much different. It was warmth generated from the tenderness that is reserved for people who "knew you when" and love you still.

About half the class made it to the reunion. Some live too far away or had other obligations. Sadly, some have died, some tragically young like popular athletes Kelly Mitchell and Harry Patterson who were killed in car accidents in the following years. Class of '61 was like all graduating classes...full of promise, school spirit, a little mischief. But this class had something special, a closeness that came from being tightknit and accepting.

Senior class president Carey Pharr now reflects, "I believe the friendship of a small town, of a small class, kept us close. And we've always remained very close."

Football and the Freezette
Friday night football was already a Plano tradition. The town's population was 3,695—at least half of whom were in the stands to cheer on the Wildcats.

Chita (Cate) Welch declares, "We loved anything connected with Plano Wildcats. It seemed the whole town trekked to the out-of-town games. The coldest I ever remember being was at a football game in Lewisville against their Farmers. The Plano side was on the south side of the field, and we had one of those Texas blue northers hit. Those chilling winds blew in our faces all during that game. We stuck it out, but were sure glad to have that game end. Wish I could remember if we won. I only remember the cold. We stood up the whole game just trying to stay warm. What loyalty!"

Betty (Graves) Price was voted homecoming queen that year. She, too, was a devoted football fan, and her presence at the games made quite an impact—literally. She shares this story:

"My favorite memory was driving or walking to Rice Field on Thursday (B Team) or Friday evenings for football. Soon after I learned to drive, my dad allowed me to drive to a B game.

"There were lots of cars and some were blocking the access, so I decided to back out of the stadium—and backed into the ticket booth! I told my father I broke out a taillight. I had to tell Mr. Williams, the principal, the next day. I was called to the office with a good ending...my father and Mr. Williams repaired the damage to the ticket booth the following Saturday."

However, football players generally had a different outcome when they got into scrapes. Lyndon Bozeman recalls, "Coaches were kind of unforgiving for discipline problems. They would just give you the number of 'licks' with a wooden paddle they thought was appropriate. I was on the receiving end of some of those.

"In football practice you would get wind sprints for corrective purposes. The thing I remember most was, drinking water was not allowed during practice. We would have gallon jugs that we would drink after practice, and usually you would drink the whole gallon or more.

"The principal would usually give you an option to stay after school or a paddling. When he would paddle you, every class on the 2nd floor would hear it. I got a couple of those. I remember when you walked out of his office, everyone would be gawking to see who it was that got the paddling."

Today, a wooden paddle is displayed in the memory room set up in the old school building. The name David Lobb is written on it, another member of Class '61. Janis Allman jokes, "Yes, we were represented well!" After football games, teens headed to the community center for after-game dances. Well, most of the kids went.

Chita shares, "My parents refused to let me attend for awhile, until the preacher at the First Baptist Church in town offered to sponsor it, saying that it would keep us off the streets and out of trouble. I was sure grateful for an open-minded preacher. I have tons of pleasant memories of those Friday night dances"... dances that always ended with "Good Night Sweetheart" playing on the jukebox.

Throughout the school year, high school friends gathered at several popular hangouts. Pam (Hasford) Rheudasil and Kandy (Keim) Burdette recall the soda fountains at Harrington's and Allen drugstores, Lewis Allman's ice cream shop, the Lundbergs' snow cone stand, Dude's, Mrs. Rainwater's hamburger stand, the Freezette, and Hoagland's restaurant—it was air conditioned.

Big nights and highlights
Back in 1961, seniors didn't rent limos or hotel suites for their proms, yet these classmates recall their prom fondly with Kodak precision.

Charlotte Thompson shares, "The prom was the one evening all of us girls could dress up like movie stars in our satin and chiffon dresses and dance across the floor, reminiscent of the days when we were little girls cutting out paper dolls of movie stars and dreaming of the day when we were old enough to dress like them."

What Lyndon Bozeman remembers about prom was that they could stay out all night. Another favorite event for Lyndon was senior "skip day."

Carey Pharr adds to the list of memorable events: senior class trip, FFA livestock show each year, student talent shows, plays, and study hall.

Names we all know
Today, kids attend schools named Williams, Sigler, Skaggs, Haun, and Hickey.

The 1961 graduates know those names, too, because those were the teachers and administrators during their time at Plano High School. One name that came up often among the reunion group was Mrs. Skaggs, their English teacher, who was remembered as much for her sense of style as her style of teaching.

"She was dressed immaculately in cotton shirtwaists in the heat of the fall and spring, and suits in the winter," says Betty, "always with her stiletto heels climbing to the third floor of the school." Janis was impressed with her wardrobe, too. "Her reputation preceded her, in that we had been told that she never wore the same thing twice, and I never saw her in the same thing twice. Ever."

But more importantly, Janis reflects, "Students—people—respected Mrs. Skaggs. She would ask a question in class, and it didn't matter if you were wrong as wrong could be, she would always say, 'Well, that's a good answer, but it's not exactly what I'm looking for.' She never made anyone feel belittled."

Charlotte remembers her favorite teacher, Jimmy Thompson (no relation), sitting on the top of his desk and regaling the class with interesting stories in history class. Kandy appreciated her homemaking teacher Mrs. Hickey, saying, "She taught us many practical applications to run a happy home."

Carey's favorite teacher, Leon Cason, taught FFA, and Pharr now says, "I learned life skills—craft skills using tools. Also, he took photographs, which added to my skills and interest in photography."

Lyndon had trepidations when he walked into his senior trigonometry class and realized since there was no teacher hired to teach the class, principal Williams taught it himself. "I thought, what have I gotten myself into? Turned out to be one of the most interesting classes and he was one of the best teachers I had."

End of an era
The Class of '61 was the end of an era. Not only because they were the last seniors to graduate from the old building that has since been renamed the Cox Building and now used for administrative purposes, but because the upcoming senior class would double in size. Plano was on the cusp of mighty changes.

Texas Instruments and Collins Radio had recently opened, and families began moving into Plano. Each year as the population grew, new schools were opened, and high school students went to a brand new school where Williams High School is located now. On the day of the 50th reunion, former classmates stood on the front steps of their old high school, just has they had done in cap and gown. They laughed, finding that navigating the stairs wasn't as easy as it once was. Back inside, class president Carey tried to herd the group for the tour.

"Those who still have hearing, listen up," he joked. He directed the group towards the elevators to continue the school tour. Cramming inside the tight space, he quipped, "We were always a close class."