Always a CHS Classmate...................by Alona Dickerson-Moller

I recently received a reminder that my 50th Class Reunion from Sammamish High School in Bellevue, WA was two weeks away.  Well, I did miss that reunion! Oh well, that wasn't a big deal since I still felt connected to the CHS Class of '66 from Aberdeen SD.  So why are the CHS Class of '66 reunions so meaningful to me? Let me give you the background for this sentimentality.

Alona Gallipo: Graduation

Adams School

I was born Alona Gallipo and lived in Aberdeen until the beginning of my sophomore year of high school. I went to Adams elementary and walked to school every day with my neighbor John McDowell.  We would stop and pick up Skip Johnson as we marched to class.  Funny side note, I love to sing and Adams School was where I did my first musical solo in Kindergarten.  I still do solos today.

John, Alona at Adams School

  

John McDowell

John McDowell lived down the alley from our family.  I recall the wonderful times I had with John's family.  They were so nice, including me in many of their family activities. John's mother Betty didn't like the way I walked so she made me walk on a 2"x 4" board to get rid of my ballet gait.  I learned to pole vault at his house going from his porch over the shrubs that lined the front porch.  Then, there were all the fun times at Mina Lake. I think I drank half of the lake learning to water ski.  

From there I went to Roosevelt Elementary, where I met many

Doreen and Me

new friends. Doreen Shock and I became very close friends in the fourth grade, we were stuck together like Velcro. It was during this time at Roosevelt that I went to Girls Scout camp at Wylie Park during the Summer, where I met a girl named Carole Tonigan.  Each year I went to camp, I was reunited with this girl named Carole. 

My Dad: Thomas Gallipo

At the end of 6th grade, my father, who worked for the Milwaukee Railroad, was transferred to Chicago.  I felt devastated thinking I would have to leave Aberdeen.  Preparing for this change, we moved in with my grandparents until school finished in the Spring.  Previously, my father left for Chicago in March but when he returned shortly thereafter he decided that he did not want to raise his children in Chicago.  As a result, we remained in Aberdeen staying at my Gram's house.  As a result, I subsequently attended Simmons school.  Life was GOOD again!

Simmons School

It was there that I was reunited with Carole.  She introduced me to her friends from Simmons Elementary. They quickly became my friends which created an environment for a wonderful junior high school experience.  Cheer leading helped all of us girls become close friends. There were slumber parties, football games, basketball games, Sadie Hawkins Day dances and many other activities for great fun and comaraderie.  We had great classes together. There were the math classes with Mr. Stewart. He couldn't tolerate grape gum because it gave him a headache, so we would plan a day when we all came to school with grape gum in our pockets. Mr. Bauer always caught me chewing gum during the times he would show movies in class. Oh, I remember those lovely physical education uniforms we wore.

Jets vs Sharks: West Side Story

The weekends were always filled with a lot of fun.  We were so lucky to have places to gather.  The dances at the YMCA were always a great time, I always looked forward to them being with my friends. It was a chance to be with the kids from the northside schools that we didn't get so see during the week. We had fun times together.  When there wasn't a dance we often went to the movies, I still remember seeing West Side Story.  On the way home, all of us were dancing down the middle of Lincoln Street.  Some of us were Jets and the others were Sharks, but we were all singing to the top of our lungs.

How many remember the fun parties at the Tonigan house game room?  Mr. Tonigan would start singing and clanging glasses as he walked down the stairs to bring us something to drink and eat.  Years later, I used to do that to my boys when they were having a party in our basement, it always brought a smile to my face!  There were many slumber parties with our girl friends, with each girl friend taking her turn.  Who remembers making stink bombs or calling people in the middle of the night.  We were so fortunate to be able to go somewhere and stay out of serious trouble.

Bill Gallipo: My Big Brother

In the 9th grade, near the end of March, my father was transferred to Omaha, Nebraska.  Our family stayed in Aberdeen until August, just before school started.  I was heartbroken to leave Aberdeen, while my brother Bill was allowed stay in Aberdeen and finish his senior year.  As it turned out, that worked out well as I came back to Aberdeen every weekend to see my brother Bill participate in sports, especially playing football for the Eagles.  Bill was the leading scorer in the ESD Conference playing for the Eagles football team and made the First Team All-State South Dakota squad.  I usually stayed with Carole so I continued to make memories with my friends in Aberdeen.  I saw them every weekend but didn't have classes with them.

My sophomore year in Omaha was a blur! I was never there. Really, the only thing I remember about that year was that I was in my social studies class when it was announced that President Kennedy was killed. There was another girl from Aberdeen there, Jane Zerbe. When I was at home for a weekend, we spent time together.  In March, my father got transferred again, this time to Mitchell, South Dakota. He left in March, we stayed in Omaha until school was out in the end of Spring.

My Junior year in Mitchell was so much better than my sophomore year in Omaha.  My brother was at Dakota Wesleyan University so we didn't travel every weekend.  I was a cheer leader again, joined the choir and made some great friends. My girl friend, Marilyn Endorf, and our boy friends were together all the time and had so much fun. Then, in March my father was transferred again to Seattle, Washington.  I was sad and furious.  How could this happen again!!  I wanted to stay in Mitchell for my senior year like my brother did but I couldn't.  So, off to the coast I went. I had never been west of Mobridge and was going where they had floating bridges and earth quakes.  Dad left in March and we moved in June. Did I say I was furious??  I decided I was going to get involved in school activities again but not make any good friends as I was out of there in a year!  Well, graduation came and I didn't want to go back to South Dakota, it was so far away from my family. 

I enrolled in a junior college and it was there that my choir director told me I should try out for a music scholarship at University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington.  I received the scholarship for voice which covered my tuition fees, but my degree was in Health and Physical Education.  This is not surprising if you knew my family.  It was here that I made wonderful memories that shaped the rest of my life.

Carole Tonigan & Alona

I got married and lived in Bellevue.  During this time Carole moved to Seattle and we were connected again off and on.  She moved to Tucson and I moved to Camas, Washington. Years later, we begin to spend time together again.  It was during this time that Carole asked me to go to the 20th CHS class reunion with her.  Should I go to another school's class reunion??  Really??  I figured no one would even remember who I was.   It was a dark time in my life but the idea of going back to Aberdeen to see Carole's mom, my family and old friends did sound inviting.  I was a bit nervous as I figured people would remember my brother but not me.  What a surprise, it was a wonderful visit.  It took me back to a time when my life was so fun and I was so happy.  It was the best medicine I could have taken.   I have been to two other reunions since and each one touched my heart with old memories as well as making many new ones.  One reunion,  I was escorted by my husband who commented about what wonderful friends I had and how much fun he had with them.  I couldn't agree more. I was so sad when I couldn't attend the 50th reunion but the pictures, the blogs, the videos and articles make me feel like I was there.

CHS Class of '66

I hope this gives you an idea of how fortunate I feel and how wonderful it was for me to be invited to attend the CHS Class of '66's 50th reunion.  I will be forever grateful. When I look back over time, it is you wonderful people I reminisce about.  By the way …I have never attended a reunion at Sammamish High School where I graduated.   In my soul, the CHS Class of '66 is the class where I belong.

From the Bottom of my Heart,     Thank You.
 
Alona Dickerson-Moller