Rushford central school alumni association

RCS Alumni Web Page Launched

(2011 News letter is available- click here PDF File

Shortly after last year's banquet, some of us discussed developing a web site for the RCS Alumni.  It was felt that having our own web site would allow us to better serve those of us that hold RCS dear to our hearts.  We will also be able to  send out the banquet notices and have email news letters.  This will result in better service and cut the cost of mailings.

 

The web page has an alumni directory, officer's page, alumni news, pictures, and much more.  This is your web page.  Tell us what you would like to see and suggestions for any changes.   Remember, this is a work in process. Click here for Banquet Reservation Form

2011 RUSHFORD ALUMNI NEWSLETTER

by Jim Pomeroy

Hello fellow alumni. I was not planning to do the 2011 newsletter, but I have answered the call. If there is something about yourself or your class that you’d like to include in next year’s newsletter, include a note when you mail in your banquet reservation, or send us a note any time at the same postal address (Rushford Alumni Association, Box 1, Rushford, NY 14777), or do so by sending an email to:

alumnifromrushford@gmail.com (note that the address is "alumni from Rushford" without any spaces between words and that it is not necessary to capitalize Rushford in the address). Please do not use any email address listed in previous years' newsletters.

If you desire to do so, you can view and print this newsletter from the Cuba-Rushford Central School website. Go to www.crcs.wnyric.org --- click on "Community" in the row of menu items that runs across the top of the page, next click on "Alumni and Yearbooks"" in the drop-down box that appears and then click on "Rushford Alumni" at the far left on the page that next appears. Next, when the Rushford Alumni history page downloads, go to the very bottom of that page and click on "Related Documents – Newsletter". Newsletters are in "pdf" format which uses Adobe Acrobat Reader software to view. You very possibly already have this software on your computer. If you don't have it on your computer, the

CRCS website gives you a link for downloading the software for free. Note that the complete 2011 newsletter may not have been posted yet on www.rushfordalumni.org but should be shortly. To view newsletters on this website, go to the website's home page, click on "News" on the menu bar that runs across the page, and then select 2011 Newsletter in the next window that opens.

Essentially, all alumni on our active list received this newsletter and banquet invitation by postal mail this year. Yes, we still very much want alumni to accept email delivery of this information, if possible, in order to save money on paper and postage and to reduce the time and effort that goes into the postal mailings. However, since we are using a brand new email account for alumni affairs and since many of you have email providers that would reject as "spam" at least the first message that we would try to send you from this new email account, let's start from scratch. Another reason to start over is that some of you who

gave us your email address in the past have since changed it. Soooo---here's the pitch to those of you who use and are familiar with email: if you check your personal email account at least once every few days and don't allow your inbox to become full, and if you have no problem following the instructions in the previous paragraph for navigating around a website in order to get to the place where the newsletter and banquet reservation form are posted, then PLEASE send an email message to the aforementioned email address (alumnifromrushford@gmail.com) and say "Put me on the email list" or something

similar. I will make sure that your message doesn't end up in our email account's spam bin and I will send a message back to you confirming that your request was received. If you are willing to be put on the email list (a repeat for some of you), we strongly prefer that you notify us of your willingness by email rather than on a piece of paper. In other words don't use your banquet reservations form or some other piece of paper to give us your email address --- send us an email instead. It would be best to do it before you forget. If you just don't want to deal with emails from us even though you have a computer, that's OK. Incidentally, the additional cost for postage this year created by the need to use postal mail to contact last year's email recipients is being covered by a donation.

Regardless of how you receive this newsletter and banquet invitation, you will still need to use postal mail to make banquet reservations and/or to send in any money (send to: Rushford Alumni Association, Box 1, Rushford, NY 14777). Our email address account is not designed

for making reservations.

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About 165 alumni, spouses, and guests attended the 2010 Rushford Alumni Association banquet which, according to the research of our Secretary, Sue Corbett Clark, was the 115th such banquet since the Association began. Peggy Metcalf Armstrong officially opened the banquet as President for the last time. She expressed thanks once again to school janitor David Hatch (Class of 1984) for all he did to set up tables and chairs in the auditorium. Dennis Milgate, of Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina and husband of Susie Mathews Milgate (Class of 1956) gave the blessing. After the dinner, Fran Gilbert and Ruth Metcalf presented the slate of officers to serve in 2011. The slate was approved as follows: Lawana Van Name

Digirolamo (Class of 1965) of Jamestown as President, to replace Peggy Metcalf Armstrong; Lori Tomlinson Warner (Class of 1978) of Belfast, NY as Vice-President, to replace Susan Clark Holmes ('66) of Farmersville; Karen Hackett Austin (Class of 1969) of Rushford as Treasurer to replace Bernice Owens Armison ('90) also of Rushford, and Sue Corbett Clark (Class of 1965) of Houghton, agreeing to stay on as Secretary. (Thanks for all the work of those whose terms of office ended with this banquet, thanks to those who agreed to be officers for the first time including a new President who does not live the slightest bit near Rushford, and thanks to the Secretary for remaining as a bridge between the past and present slate of officers. Please note, folks --- the pool of talent in the immediate Rushford area willing and able to take on these positions keeps shrinking. How about some of you a little further out stepping up to the plate? Editor) Tom McElheny (Class of 1967) introduced three guests (Kevin Shanley, CRCS Superintendent; Edward Zalar, CRCS School Board President; Michael Abraszek, Town of Rushford Supervisor) and then gave a presentation on a feasibility study that is underway to consider the possibility of converting a portion of the Rushford school building to senior housing while continuing to use most of the building as it is being used now. (Such a proposal faces a number of hurdles including the potential

costs. You can read between the lines that pressure is growing again to close the Rushford School and that only increases in enrollment [unlikely] and/or greater usage of the building in some way will preserve the present situation. Editor)

Of the classes honored at the banquet (those whose graduation years ended with a "0" or a "5"), the Class of 1965 had the most members (14) present. The oldest alumnus in attendance was Irene Drew Worthington (Class of 1934). Once again some alumni came from such states as Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia. The 2010 recipient of the Association’s Albro Scholarship in the amount of $1000 was CRCS graduate Joseph Ronolder whose goal is to enter the field of medicine. Joe's mother accepted the check on his behalf since he was already attending classes at the other end of the State (SUNY Albany). This was the tenth consecutive year that the Association has awarded a scholarship—a total of

almost $8,500 awarded since 2001. Bernice Armison reported that at the time of the banquet, there was $7,414 remaining in the Association's Albro Scholarship Fund. (However, this amount had not yet been updated with the contributions that came in over the summer as well as additional contributions during banquet registration.) Charles Bliss spoke about the internet website he has created — www.rushfordalumni.org. Musical entertainment was provided by Becky Furniss Cole (Class of 1976) and Esther White Clark (Class of 1991). Both ladies are very talented piano players. (Becky, for those living

out of the area, has been and continues to be librarian at the Rushford Library. Esther is a member of the very last class to graduate from what used to be Rushford Central School and is one of the relatively few alumni who graduated between say 1971 and 1991 who have chosen to be active members of the Association.) The banquet concluded with Wilda Williams at the piano and the RCS alma mater.

News From or About Individual Alumni and Classes:

'36 -- Harriet Balcom Davis of Tempe, Arizona died in June of 2010.

'41 -- Edythe Bogar Kratts of Cuba, NY died in February of 2011.

'44 -- Shirley Taylor Adams of Berrien Springs, Michigan died in June of 2010.

'44 -- Donald Alderman of Olean, NY has written a poem recalling a swimming hole that was located in

Caneadea Creek near the school. (Note: I swam at this spot perhaps twice about 15 years

after Don had graduated from RCS. I remember that kids reached it by going through the woods

behind the school. Like everything else, things change --- the creek took a different course

sometime after I graduated, probably as result of a flood, and the swimming hole disappeared.

Thanks Don for reminding us of one of those simple pleasures of youth. Editor)

// This summer is so hot // And I've felt so old // Brings to mind the Rushford

swimming hole. // Down behind the schoolhouse // At a bend in the creek, //

A bunch of us school kids would often meet. // Jumping from a tree limb, //

Into the water we'd burst. // BRRRRR it was awful cold, at least at first. //

One time I swam in a regular pool // It was more like soup // And not nearly

cool. // Not half the fun as behind the Rushford school. // The creek has changed,

is not the same. // The kids are gone, forgot their names. //

3

'44 -- Ernest Kellogg of Canton, Georgia wrote us in the summer of 2010 that he and his wife thoroughly

enjoyed meeting classmates and relatives when they attended the 2009 banquet.

'47 -- Florence Babbitt Fuller has moved to Angelica, NY and is living with her daughter, Alberta Fuller

Lyon (Class of 1980).

'49 -- We very belatedly note that Betty Benham Spears of Olean, NY died in November of 2007.

'50 -- On July 25, 2010 the class celebrated their 60th year since graduation by meeting at the home of

Norm and Irene Blom Francis in Rushford. Attending were Alton and Betty Pettit, Jack and Janet

Finch, Keith and Arletta Slocum, Art and Marilyn Kellogg, Don and Pauline James King, Jess

Westfall, and Duane Luce. Guests were David Vincent, Betty Case, and June Blakeslee Clark.

'50 -- Alton Pettit of Arcade, NY died in August of 2010.

'50 -- Kenneth Cole of Zephyrhills, Florida died in January of 2011.

'51 -- Word was received through his older brother, John that Lawrence Babbitt of Newark, California,

died in September of 2009.

'51 -- Gerald Moyer of Arcade, NY died in February of 2011.

'55 -- Sandra Webster Ward of Arcade, NY died in September of 2010.

'55 -- Patricia Lucas Reynolds of Stover, Missouri dropped us a note in the summer of 2010. She wrote

that she was sorry not to be able to share Labor Day weekend with us. Her class was unable to

organize a 55 year reunion. She has enjoyed living in Missouri for over 12 years now but misses

friends and her sons Scott and Chris in New York and son Dave in Tennessee as well as their

children. Her oldest son Mark and his family live in Missouri. She says she is still blessed with good

health, is active in church, and loves making quilts. Her husband Doug has an arthritic back.

She sends a big hello to her classmates.

'59 -- JoAnn Kopp Scroback wrote us in the summer of 2011 that she would like to start a newsletter for

her class. She wants her classmates to send contact information (mailing address, phone number,

email address, etc) to tngrandmajo@yahoo.com or to her new mailing address at 680 County Road

372, Sandia, Texas 78383. JoAnn says that she is wintering in Texas with brother Dan (Class of

1958) and summering in New York State with stops in between to visit children in Tennessee and

Indiana, and sister Karen (Class of 1969) in Georgia.

'60 -- The Class held its 50th anniversary of graduation at the Moonwinks Restaurant. In attendance

were Terry and Judy Henry Daily, Allen and Connie Pearl Perkins, Bill and Elena Kozak, Karen

Farwell Forsyth, Ruth Kellogg and Carlos Gutierrez, Richard and Barbara Russ, John and Nancy

Lyman, Bill and Joan Zweemer Veley, Marvin Covert and guest (B. Griswold), Jim Pomeroy, and

guest Betty Connors Wende ('61). Thanks to Karen Forsyth everyone received an updated

yearbook that was dedicated to our class advisor, Wilda Williams, just as the original yearbook was.

The Class will have a get-together in 2011 and hopes to continue to do so on an annual basis.

'61 -- Carl Swain of Dayton, Nevada wrote us in the summer of 2010 and provided this interesting

family update: "I married Fran Covell of Belfast, NY and we had three children, a son and two

daughters. We both taught at Belmont Central School until 1971 when we moved to Carson City,

Nevada where we both continued to teach. In 1983, my beloved Fran was killed by a drunk driver

and our lives obviously took a dramatic change. Our youngest daughter was 4 years old when her

Mom died. At the time I had left teaching and coaching, and was a department manager for the

State of Nevada. I remarried after two years to a wonderful woman from Montana who became

Executive Assistant to the Chief Justice of the Nevada Supreme Court. She has two daughters of

her own so together we have 11 grandchildren who live in New York, Colorado, California and

Nevada. My sister Beverly (Class of 1958) lives with our mother in Florida who is 96 (Bernita

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Stubbs Swain, Class of 1933), and Beverly is her care giver. Brother Charlie (Class of 1959) is Vice

President of a large contracting company that builds nuclear power plants. He is currently living in

South Carolina. Brother Les (Class of 1962) is in Las Vegas and is a superintendent for a paving

company. My sister Betty Jo (Class of 1964) married RCS graduate Bill Mountain (Class of 1962)

and they live in Albion, N.Y. I forgot to mention that I retired from the state of Nevada in 1997 and

worked in private industry until 2007 when my wife and I both retired. We moved to a small town

outside of Carson City and have five acres. We had horses until we retired but have begun traveling

often, so we are down to one horse. I have been coming back to New York annually for the past

few years as my oldest daughter lives in Belfast and has three children. Each time I am back, Kay

Ferris Warner, who was our class secretary, tries to arrange a class reunion so I have seen six or

seven classmates on an annual basis. We will have one for sure in June of 2011 as it will be the

50th year since graduation for our class."

'62 -- Arthur Kendall (Kenny) Neal of Frisco, Texas reported to us last summer that he intends to retire

from the John Deere Company in 2011. Despite living so far from Rushford over the years, he was

able to attend five banquets. He estimates that the companies Ken has worked for have led him to

fly over 4 million miles and drive another million. He and his wife, Sharon Sampson Neal, have

lived in five states and have many friends along the way. They have two children, Kendra in Texas

and Tim in Massachusetts. After retirement, Ken and Sharon plan to spend about 60% of their time

in Texas and most of the remainder in Florida.

'65 -- Audean Haskin's struggle with kidney disease ended in November of 2010. In years past Audean

participated actively in the life of the Alumni Association.

'80 -- Kelley Worthington of Schenectady, NY died in January of 2011.

'89 -- Keith Maw of Rushford died in May of 2011.

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On a lighter note, do you remember RCS's really good (catchy) "fight" song? It seems like both the words

and the music are now burned indelibly into my brain. When I was President of the Association a few

years ago, I was tempted to get up and sing the fight song at one of the banquets but I didn't quite have

the nerve. I assume that the tune the words are sung to was borrowed from some college fight song.

After all, the words to the RCS alma mater are sung to the tune of Cornell University's alma mater ---

"Where the hills of Allegany…" have been substituted for "Far above Cayuga's waters…" and so forth.

Does anyone know what college the tune of RCS's fight song was presumably borrowed from? Does

anyone know approximately when it first became the RCS fight song or what class or school group came

up with the words? I smile thinking about some instances during my high school years when, although it

was more appropriate to sing the alma mater, we sang the fight song instead. English teacher Homer

Norton would bluster in protest, but the fact was the fight song was just more fun to sing and it got you

charged up as well. And so I'm going to skip past the alma mater one more time and give the fight song,

at least this once, the recognition I think it deserves. Here, as I remember them, are the words. See if

the tune comes back to you.

// Fight for Rushford, Rushford must win. // Fight to the finish, never give in. //

Rah, rah, rah--you do your best boys. // We’ll do the rest boys. // Fight for a

victory -- fight, fight, fight! // Fight for dear old Rushford. // She must never die. //

Let sounds of triumph echo through the sky-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i. // Never be discouraged. //

All shout and sing. // Vic-t'ry be ever for old R! C! S! Rah! Rah! Rah! //

Silly? It may seem so now, but recall that school spirit was, and still is, a part of any school's success

and even if you didn't play sports or you weren't a cheerleader at RCS, the fight song could make you feel

a part of it all. Yes, the words, "She must never die", have a hollow ring now --- let's just say that all

things change sooner or later one way or another and that for youth now living in the old RCS District, the

"sounds of triumph" have simply moved to other venues (to Cuba and sometimes to schools such as

Fillmore and Pioneer). "Never be discouraged?" That can be a tough one, but here's hoping that you

don't get too discouraged by all the contests going on in your life. Best wishes. Jim Pomeroy)