The Central High School Class of 1966 is big on lunching and partying. Let’s get the IDs out of the way first. According to my best sources, the folks are, from left to right: Dick McClard, Judy McClard, Marilyn Maevers, Lynn Davis McLain, David McLain, Brad Brune, Terry Hopkins and Gerald Ruessler.
Brune was there when I arrived
I wrote about the semi-official monthly luncheon attended by Mother and me. The ’66ers invited us, I’m sure, so they’d look younger in comparison.
Terry Hopkins blew into town on Wednesday and we made a Blue Hole BBQ sauce run and stopped in at Nickie’s Cafe and Sweets in Altenburg before looking in on the L&M Tool Exhibit at the Lutheran Heritage Center and Museum.
He announced that he had invited a bunch of his classmates to lunch on Friday at noon, “but I told Brad Brune we were going to meet at 11:30 because he operates on Brune Standard Time and is always late.” (His excuse last time was that he set his cellphone alarm for 12, but got confused between noon and midnight).
Thursday I got a text from Brune “Come on, Guys!! This is not funny. I’m standing down here in the rain playing pocket pool. It’s 12:23 and I got here at 11:15 so I wouldn’t get razzed about Brune Time late again!!! You guys are DEAD TO ME!!”
It gave me great pleasure to point out that he couldn’t differentiate between noon and midnight for our last gathering, but, now, he didn’t know the difference between Thursday and Friday.
I arrived a few minutes after noon on Friday to see that Brune was already seated. For all I know, he may have slept in the restaurant overnight to avoid further humiliation.
The Dick McClard Memorial Watch
Long about this time last year, a package from Dick McClard arrived at my house. Ever since a stalker ex-husband sent a live snake to his ex at work, and I made the mistake of volunteering to open the box for her, I have been very cautious about unexpected things that arrive in the mail.
Inside the box was a piece of very fine jewelry. It didn’t fit my wrist, so Wife Lila decorated her kitchen wall with it.
At the time, Mr. Hopkins hinted very strongly that he would love to have that watch or one just like it.
I left town to go to Cape, and Mr. Hopkins came visiting in West Palm Beach. He slept on my nap bed, ate us out of house and home, and departed with my precious watch. I wasn’t sure how I was going to break the news to Dick that his gift had gone missing from my life.
Hopkins displays his prize
Terry has been showing his prize to anyone who will look. When Dick saw how good it looked on Terry’s arm, I thought he was going to ask for it back. The Man of a Thousand Hawaiian Shirts and One Tuxedo says he may auction it off since it has become so popular. The only catch, he added, is that the recipient must promise to wear it for at least a month.
By the way, the reason the colors are so funky is that the restaurant has a wall lined with red neon signs. There’s only so much color correction you can do in that situation.
Adjourned to Main Street
After the raucous group drove away all the other patrons of the establishment, someone suggested we adjourn to the out-of-doors where Brune passed around some of his signature cheap chocolate-flavored cigars bought for about $12 per railroad boxcar.
When one of those things fires up, Bob Dylan was right, “you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.”
Photo gallery from the lunch
Click on any photo to make it larger, then use your arrow keys to move through the images. They have been filtered to remove the smell of cheap cigar, but I couldn’t get the red out of all of them.
You’re right, everyone does look younger when you are in the group, opps, you not in any of the pictures. Did David buy the picture of him lifting the car engine in auto mechanics? He still looks like he could lift it. Looks like a good time was had by all!
I don’t know what, if any, of the photos I left at Annie Laurie’s sold. I know a couple of folks wanted the shot of the TPing.
I forgot to add that I have seen those watches at the Marion Flea market near the villages. They sell them by the gross for a buck seventy five. Guaranteed not to leave a green mark on your wrist. Just kidding, it does leave a green mark, my wife has it on her arm from the watch I got her.
I was going to complain that I graduated in 1966 (not from Cape Girardeau) and this can’t be right because the people I remember were a lot younger. But now that I’ve looked at your photos, I’ll have to say that these people DO look young enough. Maybe you should do everybody’s class of ’66 photos. Or maybe there’s something good in the water at Cape Girardeau?
As is usually the case…. there is some truth and mostly fiction in Dr Steinhoff’s story.
Here is the truth & the ‘rest of the story’:
MagnumPU Hopkins called me as he was leaving Florida on his way to Cape. He said somethings like this..
“hey Brune I’m passin through Gainesville, Fl and will be in cape for the next week or more cleaning out my Dad’s house with my sister…. Wanna get together for lunch?… how bout Brassards’ for lunch on THURSDAY AT 11:30AM… its really at Noon but I know how much trouble you have with Noon & MIdnight… ha …. ha… why don’t you send out some emails or call some guy & gals and ask them to join us?”…..
So being the obedient, loyal, trusting friend of all…. I set the date/time in my phone to remind me of the luncheon….. To make ‘extra special double probation sure’ that I didn’t make another ‘common aging human error’ like last time with the 12AM/12PM misunderstanding….. I set up phone notification reminders to myself of: 2 days before, 1 day before, 2 hours before, 1 hours before, and ‘time of’ 11:30AM on THURSDAY, AUGUST 7TH.
Then I went about my very busy schedule of ‘life as a semi-retired therapist/SlumLord/HomeHusband/Father&Grandfather & Museum Board member… and didn’t give a second thought.
I did send out some notifications as requested… and This is the last contact I had with MagnumPU until I called him on the phone…. standing in the pouring rain in front Brassard’s …. by myself!!!!
What I didn’t know was what “conspired or transpired” after PU arrived in Cape…. was that PU had decided after talking to a few of the CHS friends that “Thursday was not as ‘convenient’ for the majority as FRIDAY”
SO THEY CHANGED THE DATE OF THE LUNCHEON ….WITH…. OUT…. TELLING…. POOR OLD BRUNE STANDARD TIME !!!!!
Was it a common ‘misunderstanding with no ill intent’??? or a “vicious…. underhanded …. preconceived….CONSPIRACY ….. to make ‘poor old Brune’ look senile….and to give Dr. Steinhoff a ‘funny theme’ for his ‘bombastic blogg’ ….????…… I’ll leave up to my TRUE friends and the unbiased readership of the Steinhoff Opulent Estate’s many ‘yellow’ publications.
sign me as: innocent, bullied & mistreated….
BRUNE TIME-OUT.
Hey this was good lunch. Even if Ken did not buy today, he did buy me lunch at Nickies in Altenburg the day before…My new watch is continuing to attract attention eveny where I go…the Casino, the Library in Cape…not that Library, the one only until 1:30 on Spanish Street and Independence Street. If I have time I will test it at the Pink Pony to get it a full exposure to all Cape had to offer. Thanks to all of you that shared in the fun!
gee…. that’s odd. I didn’t hear the slightest sign of ‘remorse or apology’ in brother Hopkin’s elegant parting comments. Thus, is the nature of friendship… and of life. Caveat Emptor, indeed, Terry Hopkins.
Mr. Higgins (Brad), Since you seem to have it in for Mr. Magnum PI I believe you must be his nemesis Higgins. Either you are going to have to wear kaki safari gear or Hawaiian shirts and trade your little friend ( or you can let us have him as he is rather cute) for two Dobermans. Also you should provide Terry a Ferrari to drive when he is in Cape and when he not there I will volunteer to take care of it when I come to town. (:
Hi all,
Even though I went to College High instead of Central, and am just a shade younger! I enjoy seeing this crowd. My mom was a McLain and we are also McClard descendants. So, hello to the McClards! Lynn — I was your neighbor on nearby Henderson street and we used to play together as kids! Haven’t seen you for years, but you look great! My mom told me you married a McLain. Glad to see you all having a great time!
Nora Reynolds Zimmer