By Susan Redden
Globe Columnist
JOPLIN, Mo. —
A successful end to cancer treatment sparked a celebratory gathering near Kansas City last month among some members of the Joplin High School class of 1967.
Nearly 20 members of the class, along with spouses, made the trip that included some dinners, some golf and shopping, and lots of catching up.
Gary Taylor, of Olathe, Kan., said the weekend was an opportunity to get together with class members who have stayed close for more than 40 years. Those who helped organize the event viewed it was an opportunity to celebrate with Taylor, who just completed a year-long treatment regimen for colon cancer.
For classmates who learned of Taylor’s illness, “it was a reminder that life’s too short and that we need to stay connected with the people we care about,” said Connie White, of Little Rock, Ark.
She and her husband made the nearly eight-hour trip, while others came from as far as North Dakota and North Carolina.
Plans came together after class members Jim Davidson and Keith Stinnett, who also live in the Kansas City area, met Taylor for lunch.
“Keith had told me about Gary’s illness and we all wanted to get together for lunch,” Davidson said. “He was so upbeat and had such a positive spirit after going through horrible treatment, we decided on the spot and asked him about trying to get some people together.”
Taylor said the event can’t be considered a reunion because there were many class members absent, because they could not be reached or had other commitments.
“When we do have class reunions, everyone tries to make it, because we’re such a close group,” said White.
“And a lot of us have stayed close, with e-mails and prayer chains and things like that,” added Gloria Turner, of Joplin. “But we kind of put it together based on people we ran into and could reach.”
The event “came together pretty easily once people heard about Gary,” said Davidson. “He was the quarterback, but he knew everyone, and he was one of those people who was known for his kindness.”
Several also cited shared histories and shared values as reasons they have stayed so close.
“Two or three of us started together at Irving Elementary,” said Taylor. “And this is a class where we used to get together every year before kids and jobs and everything else.”
In addition to sharing classes starting in elementary school, many were teammates in sports, starting in junior high school, added Steve Sohosky, Garfield, Ark.
“We had great times in school and playing basketball and baseball; we had teams that were really successful,” he said. “That cemented friendships that took us all the way to our adult years.”
That year’s Joplin Eagles football team finished the season with a 7-3 record and the basketball team registered one loss before winning the state championship title, in overtime, over Kansas City Central.
“I always felt like we were part of the ‘Happy Days’ generation,” Turner said. “These are people we’ve shared precious memories and they’re the only ones who’ve shared them. We don’t want to lose track.”
