Haysi alumnus captured 1959 class in poem
SANDLICK NEWS > Jean Raines
I’ve been talking a lot about the Haysi High School class of 1967 and they are the greatest actors, but we really had a great poet in our class of 1959. My late classmate Gayle Puckett Vanover wrote this very memorable poem for her classmates a few years ago. I know you will enjoy reading it ...
“Class of ‘59,” by Gayle Puckett Vanover
Oh! Class of 1959, do you sometimes take a stroll,
Down hallowed halls of Haysi High in wistful moments of your soul?
And as you turn the corners, do you see the fleeting ghosts,
Of faces, places, times and things behind each pillar and each post?
As you wander up the stairway, do you sometimes see the smile,
Or hear the voice of Mrs. Cain who made our time worthwhile?
Oh, she was a busy woman and she had a golden rule:
“No matter what, no matter how, children, stay in school.”
When you enter into the office, with your best laid-plan,
You’re greeted with the warmest smile of our secretary Mrs. Sutherland.
Her patience was her halo, and she had a special charm,
Efficient, busy, always busy, she was everyone’s right arm.
Oh, here comes Mr. Caywood ... don’t let him catch you late,
He sure had his work cut out, keeping all us students straight.
Hurrying up and down the halls, to see that all was quiet,
A silent man, but sometimes stern if we didn’t act just right.
There’s Art Counts and Maynard Owens, portfolios under arm,
And Bonnie Owens our history teacher with her smile so sweet and warm.
And here comes Mrs. Bailey, humming as she goes,
Turning off all the light switches, and pulling at her clothes.
And, ah, Homer Deel and Joyce Harrison everyone recalls,
Their memory will never fade from Haysi’s hallowed halls.
Hark! Do I hear singing ... Miss Deel’s Glee Club sounding grand,
And there’s the sound of music from the “Blue Note Marching Band.”
And all the other teachers whose talents shaped our lives,
Will always have a revered spot in our memory archives.
All the things they taught us are the things that will not pass.
All in all, don’t you believe that we were a pretty good class?
Kermit, you were the clown and Trella, you were the brain.
Our basketball stars Raymond and Freida, always ready for another game.
And each and every student who made our class sublime,
Will long be remembered by the class of ‘59.
And look, I see the flashing twirl and colors of blue and white,
And pompoms flying in the air; our cheerleaders are out tonight.
Kitty and Tommy at their best, let’s all give them a yell,
Two more of the class of ‘59 doing their job well.
Francis, you made the doctor, and Carolynn, you decided to teach.
We all made our place in life, and some of it’s been sweet.
Some of our dreams have been fulfilled and some of them have not,
But let’s all be happy and be content with what we’ve got.
To Curtis, Beacher, Wayne, Gary, Roger C., Don, Kenny, Bobby and Tommy L.,
We hope to see you all again in that other vale.
We sorrow in your absence and you are truly missed.
You left our ranks ahead of us to live among the blessed.
We’ve all had our ups and downs and we’ve sure had our dreams,
Life can’t be perfect every day and it’s not always what it seems.
Life is short but life is sweet, so let’s all take the time,
To appreciate and give three cheers for the class of ‘59!
Gayle later went on to be with the Lord after a long battle with cancer. She is greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.
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