Worthington, PA
1933 - 1984
Worthington West-Frankling High School
HERE WE ARE 50 YEARS LATER
Class of 1965
James Kutsch
I am honored to speak to my friends of the past,
Class of 1965 WWF ---- We had a blast.
Now fifty years since Graduation Day
I hope to jog your memory with what I'm about to say.
Duff enjoyed my last poem and requested an encore.
Me being obedient and out of respect, I decided to write more.
Guess What? He chose fishing and is not here.
To celebrate his absence let's have another beer.
As I scan your faces many I would not know.
Age can be cruel and gives us a mean blow.
Now don't get me wrong I'm not saying you look old
But my memory is fading fast and it only gets worse I'm told.
Use Gep as an example, now just check him out.
He looks like a 1955 graduate no doubt.
Now close your eyes and I'll have him talk
Yes, automatically we have turned back the clock.
The Junior and Senior Class Plays in case you forgot,
"The Accidental Hero" and the "The Stuck Pot".
Mrs. McBride challenging us to remember our parts.
She will forever remain in all of our hearts.
L.B. Good, Lettie and Bernie Moreau,
Kiel, Benny Dudek and of course Frank Pro.
All professional, helpful and courteous--except one
And he was one weird son-of-a-gun !!!
I could go on for an hour of tales about him
Like Hogrefe jamming his face into the door in the gym.
Or Donna and Phyllis putting x-lax in his food.
Then laughing every time he ran to the bathroom, Dude.
McCleary, Marshall, Delp and McBride
Teachers strong with Worthington pride.
Melissa, I'm sure you are very proud.
Your Mother ranks very high with our Worthington crowd.
And of course, the others, I must mention
Gloria Hillberry and Mr. Paul Benton.
And the three ladies that served us lunch
Mrs. Bargerstock, Mrs. Long and Mrs. Fails--indeed a great bunch.
We owe everything to those icons of the past
Because of their guidance our personalities were cast.
They taught us honor, respect and dignity
I hope, my classmates, you all agree.
I don't think our yearbook was nearly as good as the others.
I must be honest with my classmates and brothers.
My evaluation of "The Book" went on for years.
Many times actually bringing me to tears.
Then one day it hit me--and I started to laugh.
The problem, you see, was our yearbook staff.
Mechling, Ruffaner, Geopfert and Cook,
Bofinger and Wilson......What did we really expect from this book?
Not sure if we voted or did they just volunteer?
Of course I'm only kidding I will always cherish this souvenir.
Last week I was out hitting "the little white ball".
My stupid phone rang---I had a call.
It was L.B. Good and Big John McCoy.
I was shocked and dazed..... I thought, Oh Boy!!!
To hear their voices gave me the chills.
A meeting they wanted to discuss our class leadership skills.
As I entered the office and closed the door
I remember I had been summoned here many years before.
McCoy said, "Claypoole, LaFisca, Hindman and you
Were the best class officers to ever go through.
Now I know why I've always said Class of "65 is the best
With outstanding leadership---much better than the rest.
THEN I WOKE Up !!!!
Bish's lunch, Henry's and the corner Drug Store,
Dan's Atlantic and the Laundromat and not much more.
The Hardware and the Feed Store icons indeed.
Anything you needed you went to Paul Reed.
Steffy's Pool Hall, a place I didn't go.
Because, as a kid, I didn't have the dough.
If you lived in the borough, buses there were none
Ask Mechling and Adams if the walk from Buffalo was fun.
Today kids get picked up directly at their door
In my eyes we have greatly regressed for sure.
Friends lived in Craigsville, Lairds Crossing and on the Worthington-Slate
Lick Road.
Buffalo, Yellow Dog, in the Borough and on the Slate Lick Road.
Aluminum Ladder, the Tile Works and the Mushroom Mines,
PPG and Eljer places no more, but still strong in our minds.
Hodak, Hogrefe, Butler and Hogg
Bofinger, Kilgore and Kutsch - "The Gang From Yellow Dog."
Shadyside Village, I will never say.
It's Yellow Dog, baby --- all the way.
At WWF, at the end of the walk, the boys could smoke.
Our classmate, Linda Peat, a rule she always broke.
Was she sending us boys a message, front and center?
Stupid us!!! She was 50 years before Caitlyn Jenner.
(Paul, does she make you call her Bruce?)
Our class was unique--no beauty queens you see.
And come to think of it—studs, we only had three.
Two, I will give you, Julius Chuck and LaFisca Bill.
If I gave you the third, you would get the chills!!!!
Our class, like all others, nicknames we had.
Some I can mention and some were too bad.
I ask co-editor Cook if I could rely on "You know What".
He shuffled, he stuttered, he said I think so ... but!!
Corkie, Harkie, Barney and Bo,
Gep, Vada, Luigi, Maynard and Ringo.
Packi, Rooster, Kootie and Gus.
Lis, Lin, PJ and Cactus.
Foxie, Bows, Clyde, Duff and Harry
Fuzz, Phyl, Dump and Big Jerry.
One nickname I discovered was not in the book.
And I even took a second and third look.
Nancy Pfaff was always Puffer to me
Everyone please tell me you all agree.
I'm sure some I have forgot.
But it's been 50 years has it not?
Just another downside of growing old.
These Golden Years are not all gold.
Very common names in our little school,
Bowser, Smith and Claypoole.
Dwight and Faye Ann, both Claypooles and tall.
Kathy, Mary, Bob and Paul, last name Bowser, that's all.
Smith, Jim and Barb, at times both extremely loud.
These two always stood out in a crowd.
Sixteen percent of our class was this clique.
They stuck together. They were thick.
Let's go back to 1965 for the best music of all time.
Close your eyes, listen to my jukebox and I'll put in the dime.
Thanks to my producer... her name is Kim
And, Oh Yes she is married to Jim.
A word to our classmates that have been called away,
In a better place, we'll be together again someday.
How about a hundred year reunion in 2065?
You guys set it up for when we all arrive.
I thank you friends. I've rattled on and on.
Now it's past time for me to be gone.
Thanks again for coming. This has been so much fun.
My only regret is we waited 50 years to get it done.