Homecoming 2003 is Almost Here!

It is hard to believe, but Homecoming 2003 is almost here. Time for folks who were in the band, Ramettes, cheerleaders, and several other groups to think about maybe doing a bit of practicing before Homecoming week. It won't happen, of course - some of us will make it to practices held for alumni during the week of Homecoming, but a lot of us will just show up Homecoming night and muddle through.

Whether you come to participate in the pre-game and halftime shows, or just come to visit and watch the game, come on along and join us at Homecoming on October 3rd! Kick-off is at 7:30 PM

Alumni Band typically goes the Donatos Pizza on Hamilton Road after the game. If your group is going someplace else, let me know and I'll put it in the newsletter.

If someone sent you this link via Email, please be sure to join our mailing list so you don't miss any newsletters or announcements about Homecoming, upcoming WYHS reunions, or alumni events.

Sad News

I know of two WYHS grads who died in August.

Rick Conley, Class of 1971, died on August 30, and Jim McLaughlin, Class of 1974, died on August 16.

What little info I have is on the Memorial Page.

I have a lot of updates and changes to make to the site, and not a heck of a lot of time to devote to it. One of the things I'll be adding soon is a link to obituaries from the Memorial Page. If you've got an obituary you'd like added to the Memorial section, please let me know.

Alumni Football Players - September 25th!!!

Mike Ferguson, current WYHS A.D., tells us there will be an Alumni Tunnel of former Ram football players on Thursday, September 25, 2003 before the varsity football game with Columbus Academy.

All former Rams football players can assemble in the auxiliary gym between 6:45 and 7:00, meet the team, and then proceed to the field to form the tunnel at midfield.

Alumni will gather at Roosters, 376 SS. Hamilton Road after the game.

If you have questions, contact Mike via phone at 614-417-5118 or by fax at 614-417-5149.

If you go to the game and can take some pictures of the alumni, I'd like to put them here on the site.

"All Class" Reunion Planning Meeting

Our next planning meeting for the "All Class" reunion is Saturday, October 4, 2003 (yep, the day after Homecoming).

We'd like to have three people from each graduating class get involved in the helping with the All Class reunion. So far, we haven't filled all three spots on any of the classes. Can you help?

Regardless of where you live, how many reunions you've been to, whether or not you were "popular" in high school, or how much contact you've had with your former classmates, we'd love to have you help us put together the reunion.

Folks who are in Central Ohio this weekend should join us at our meeting, to be held at 1:00 PM at Rooster's Restaurant & Bar, 376 S. Hamilton Road.

If you'd like to help but are outside Central Ohio or can't make the meeting, please contact someone in the Alumni Association and let us know you're interested in helping.

If at all possible, however, please come to the meeting.

"All Class" Reunion

The "All Class" reunion is just over a year away. It will be held in conjunction with Homecoming on Friday, September 24, 2004. Events are planned for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, so mark your calendars and make your plans to join us.

Whitehall Weather

As I write this, it is 11 PM. Whitehall is in absolutely no danger of being run over by a hurricane. It is about 63 degrees, visibility is unlimited, we're looking at only 72% humidity (this time of year in Whitehall, 72% is "only", right?), and someone should be tracking down Joe Holbrook, former Channel 10 weatherman, to bribe him so the weather will stay like this through Homecoming.

Alumni Softball Game?

Ed Kowalski, class of '82, posted a message in the WYHS.org Delphi forum that asked if there's any interest in an Alumni Softball game - maybe in conjunction with the 4th of July celebration next summer.

You can read (and respond to) Ed's post and any subsequent discussion of an Alumni Softball Game in the free DelphiForums message area at http://forums.delphiforums.com/wyhsrams/messages/?msg=238.1

Thanks Rusty!

Special Thanks to Rusty Wilson, Class of '72 for not only filling some blanks about how the "Rams" name came about, but some history on Ramsey too.

If you haven't already seen it, please check out the "School History" page, http://www.wyhs.org/docs/history.cfm

Whitehall School District Web Site

If you haven't seen it lately, you might want to check out the Whitehall School District's web site. They had a nice web site before, and over the summer they've made the site even better.

The info you'll find on the site includes job openings, school and sports schedules, and contact info for all the schools and many of the district personnel.

You'll find the district web site at http://whitehall.k12.oh.us/

Class of '71 Joins A.A.R.P.!!

Many members of the Class of 1971 turn 50 this year, which means we're now eligible to join the AARP - senior citizen discounts, here we come!

To ummmmm.... celebrate the event (yeah...THAT's the word - "celebrate"), we're going to hold an unofficial, informal "turning 50" get-together on Saturday, October 4, 2003.

It seems only appropriate to start the get-together at the MCL Cafeteria on East Main Street (at Main and Fairway Blvd, just east of I-270). There is a decent amount of handicapped parking, they accept the Golden Buckeye Card, and are very accustomed to dealing with folks in wheelchairs and people using walkers or canes.

Since old folks generally go to bed early (and because the MCL Cafeteria closes at 8:30), anyone interested in attending should be there around 6 or 6:30 PM.

This is an informal affair - you show up, pay for your own dinner, wander over to MCL's "Whitehall Room," and talk with old classmates while eating. No RSVP's are needed. No reservations, either. There'll be no program, though folks who feel so inclined will probably stand up and make announcements or proclamations from time to time.

Families, spouses, significant others, and friends of the class are all welcome - this just a group of old friends gathering in a public place, and we couldn't keep you away even if we wanted to.

Sometime around 8:30 PM, those who are so inclined (and who can stay awake that late), will move over to some other establishment. At the moment, the probable location is Rooster's on Hamilton Road, but suggestions for other places will be entertained.

Please pass the word along to anyone you know from the class of '71.

Class of '66 Get-Together

That Rick Smathers guy is talking about a get-together for Class of '66 this Saturday, September 20th at 7:00 PM at Massey's Pizza in Whitehall. He refuses to give any more info on the location - saying something if you can't figure out the location, then you're fired from the class of 1966.

Reunion Dates

Homecoming - 9/23/2005.

All Class Pot Luck Picnic - 7/3/2005.

All WYHS alumni, faculty and staff are invited.

Class Reunion Info

If the WYHS.org site has info or pictures, the grad year is a hyperlink:
1958 - 8/16/2003 (Pics!)
1959 -
1960 - 8/2 and 8/3, 2005
1961 -
1962 -
1963 - 9/24 to 9/26, 2004
1964 -
1965 -
1966 -
1967 - 10/4/2002
1968 - 8/ 9/2003
1969 - 8/6 & 8/7, 2004
1970 -
1971 - 8/3/2001
1972 - 8/3/2004
1973 - 7/3/2003
1974 - 9/24/2004
1975 - 7/29 and 7/30, 2005
1976 -
1977 - 8/2/2002
1978 - 8/8/2003
1979 - 8/28/2004
1980 - 7/30/2005
1981 -
1982 - 8/30/2002
1983 - 11/1/2003
1984 - 8/14/2004
1985 -
1986 -
1987- 10/5/2002
1988 -
1989 - 6/12/2004
1990 -
1991 - 11/3/2001 (Pics!)
1992 -
1993 - 20 year reunion
1994 -
1995 -
1996 -
1997 -
1998 - No info.
1999 -
2000 -
2001 -
2002 -
2003 -

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If you're looking for "Save the Date" wedding magnets or a clock with your favorite photo, I can do that.

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Class Reunions for Other Classes

One of the most difficult tasks facing folks planning a class reunion is that of finding all their classmates. You can help with that - if you have any siblings, parents or kids who went to Whitehall, let them know about the list of reunions in the right-hand column of this newsletter. That way folks can contact the reunion committee and make sure everyone has their current address.

Alumni Soccer Game

Nope - I still haven't made the time to put pictures from the alumni soccer game online. I did, however, get the pictures from the Thursday night practice online. You'll find them starting on the Alumni Soccer page.

Previous Newsletters

Now that I'm doing the newsletters online, folks who are gluttons for punishment can read through the old newsletters. Right now, we've got the late July newsletter in PDF format (the file will download to your computer), and the August 25th newsletter in web page format.

If you'd like to download and view the 125kb the PDF format, Please Click Here

Newsletters as Web Pages (like this one):

August 25, 2003 Newsletter

The PDF Newsletter (download and open on your computer)

Late July, 2003 Newsletter (125k PDF document)

Customized Rams Alumni Name Badges

After just a wee bit of thought, I've decided to sell some great looking, 3" diameter, customized WYHS Rams Alumni buttons - just in time for Homecoming.

Yeppers, when you go to Homecoming (or any other Whitehall activity), you can not only let other folks know you're a WYHS alumnus, but you can do them a real big favor and tell them who you are.

As you can see on that great looking sample button, we'll pre-print your first name, maiden name, last name, and graduation year on your button.

The buttons are $5.00 each, two for $9.00, or $4.00 each for three or more buttons.

And, for just $1.25 each, you can get some hand-dandy magnet fastener bars, which allow you to wear the Name Button without poking holes in your clothing. You put the magnetic bar inside your clothing and the button outside your clothing. The magnets on the magnetic bar do a great job of holding the button in place. Please be aware the magnet is so strong that if you're wearing a pacemaker, you should not use the magnetic fastener bar.

If you'd like to order name tag buttons, please contact me.If you're going to call, I'm in the same time zone as Whitehall, and you can call any time between 9 AM and 10 PM. I'll accept payment in cash, by check, or through PayPal.com

, or call me at: --

Didn't Get the Email about this Newsletter Being Online?

I just checked, and there are now over 600 people registered to be on the site's mailing list. When I "publish" a newsletter, I send an Email to everyone who has signed up to be on the WYHS.org mailing list. Unfortunately, some of those folks will not receive the Email.

If you didn't receive an Email about this newsletter on September 17, one of several things may have happened:

~ You haven't yet signed up for the mailing list.
~ You've changed your Email address and I haven't updated it yet.
~ The karma isn't right and instead of the message passing swiftly through the Internet, a server somewhere said "No way, Jose," and sent the message to some Cyberspace wasteland.
~ Your Internet Service Provider is blocking Email from WYHS.org
~ Your SPAM filter is blocking Email from WYHS.org

If either of the last two items might be why you didn't receive the Email newsletter notice, please make sure your Internet Service Provider and your SPAM filter are both set to accept Email messages from these Email addresses:

Free Online WYHS Alumni Discussion Forum

When the folks at Classmates.com started requiring that you buy a paid membership before you could post in their online forums, I started a free online forum at DelphiForums.com. There's absolutely no cost to use the DelphiForums, so stop on by the DelphiForums to say "Hi" and maybe even participate in a discussion. You'll find the forum at http://forums.delphiforums.com/wyhsrams/start

oFishal Invitation

When I started this WYHS.org thing, my idea was to have a one page web site that was nothing more than a list of class years that showed each classes next reunion date and the name of the primary contact for the reunion.

The site has kind of grown beyond that. One reason for that growth is how much fun it has been to meet folks who went to school in Whitehall - from people who graduated from high school back when I was 3 years old to the newest alumni who are three years younger than my youngest child.

As I've said before, with this alumni stuff the phrase that pays is "the more, the merrier." Come on along to Homecoming this year. Play with the Alumni Band, perform with the Alumni Ramettes, or cheer with the Alumni Cheerleaders - you'll have a ton of fun, see some old friends, and make some new friends.

See 'ya at an Alumni event!

Rob Fish
WYHS Class of 1971

 

Alumni Band

Practice the week of Homecoming. Pre-game and half-time performances at Homecoming. Contact: Jeff Harriman, WYHS Band Director

Debbie Malmevik, Alumni Band President, says practices will be September 29, September 30, and October 2 at 7 PM (that's Monday, Tuesday and Thursday). The Parade/Bonfire will be Wednesday, October 1 at 6 PM. Practices are in the school's Band Room.

On Game Day, be in the Band Room at 5 PM for one last run through (or maybe the first run through).

On Game Day, Alumni should wear a white top and dark pants.

Please note: If you play a musical instrument and ever attended Whitehall schools, you are a member in good standing of the WYHS alumni band. No auditions. No dues. No big commitment. You don't even have to come to the practices (though the practices are a lot of fun). Just show up, walk around on the field (or march on the field, if you prefer), and have a great time.

Alumni Cheerleaders

Practice the week of Homecoming. Pre-game and half-time performances at Homecoming. Contact Rene (Keaton) Lucas, Class of 71, through the high school.

Alumni Flag Corps

Practice the week of Homecoming. Pre-game and half-time performances at Homecoming.

Alumni Football Players

Forming a tunnel at the Thursday, Sept. 25, 2003 Game. Going to Roosters on S. Hamilton Road after the game. Contact: Mike Ferguson, WYHS Athletic Director. Tel: 614-417-5118.

Alumni Ramettes

Practice the week of Homecoming. Pre-game and half-time performances at Homecoming. Click the "Alumni Ramettes link on the left to reach the Alumni Ramettes web page.

Alumni Soccer Team

Annual Alumni Game vs WYHS Varsity Soccer Team. Contact: Lee Jeffers

If I've missed your group, please let me know.