I made an effort to reconnect with Sue at least 6 months before our 50th reunion, and we continued to share emails back and forth. Occasionally we'd email serious questions, comments, etc., but mostly we would forward to each other funny, beautiful, sometimes uplifting emails. Especially good ones resulted in a "Thank you" email back to share more serious thoughts or why we thought it was funny, uplifting or even dumb. Sue and I had a shared status as Clanteeners and MacLaines, and I used that to try to entice Sue to come to the reunion and stay with me on my houseboat, I so wanted her to reconnect the group we hung out with - now an amazing group of women.
For those of you who've read Ender's Game, Ender's Jeesh was a group of Ender's closest friends at Battle School. When I read the book in the early 1990s, I was struck by how well it defined my group of PHS friends. Some were popular and some who weren't, but we would hang out, moaning, groaning, or laughing about what was going on at school or home. I trusted each of them, knowing that we could count on each other. Being a teenager can be fraught with battles at school, as well as, at home. I could find peace, quiet and escape off riding my horse, but my good friends, especially Sue, picked up the broken pieces and with their friendship put me back together more than once. One or more sought me out, listened to me, invited me over, and didn't let me know if I overwhelmed when I cried, swore or both. I owe my close High School friends a tremendous debt of gratitude. I’m not sure I would have made it through PHS without everyone of them.
So, in Sue's memory, I take this opportunity to give my thanks for Sue, Helen, and Marcia who are no longer with us except in spirit. To those of us still tottering on accept my love and thanks as well.
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Marigene Beck (Allison)
I made an effort to reconnect with Sue at least 6 months before our 50th reunion, and we continued to share emails back and forth. Occasionally we'd email serious questions, comments, etc., but mostly we would forward to each other funny, beautiful, sometimes uplifting emails. Especially good ones resulted in a "Thank you" email back to share more serious thoughts or why we thought it was funny, uplifting or even dumb. Sue and I had a shared status as Clanteeners and MacLaines, and I used that to try to entice Sue to come to the reunion and stay with me on my houseboat, I so wanted her to reconnect the group we hung out with - now an amazing group of women.
For those of you who've read Ender's Game, Ender's Jeesh was a group of Ender's closest friends at Battle School. When I read the book in the early 1990s, I was struck by how well it defined my group of PHS friends. Some were popular and some who weren't, but we would hang out, moaning, groaning, or laughing about what was going on at school or home. I trusted each of them, knowing that we could count on each other. Being a teenager can be fraught with battles at school, as well as, at home. I could find peace, quiet and escape off riding my horse, but my good friends, especially Sue, picked up the broken pieces and with their friendship put me back together more than once. One or more sought me out, listened to me, invited me over, and didn't let me know if I overwhelmed when I cried, swore or both. I owe my close High School friends a tremendous debt of gratitude. I’m not sure I would have made it through PHS without everyone of them.
So, in Sue's memory, I take this opportunity to give my thanks for Sue, Helen, and Marcia who are no longer with us except in spirit. To those of us still tottering on accept my love and thanks as well.