In just 105 days, the LHS Class of 1989 will celebrate its 30th high school reunion (on Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 7pm in the back room of the infamous Downtown Lounge) ... and to get us excited about that milestone, I'll be presenting four special TOP 30 lists -- a different one for each of the months ahead.
The December list will be the top 30 most memorable teachers/staff (see rules below), and tonight, we're remembering MICHAEL WEBB (seen here in our yearbook exactly as I picture him, bonus link is below to Esquire's ranking of the 10 best mustaches of all time -- sadly, his didn't rank).
He was the man ... the myth ... the mustache ... the teacher known as Mr. WEBB. As I recall, he also had a connection to girls' sports in our school, coaching basketball at some level. (Since I wasn't exactly 'sporty' in high school ... and I certainly wasn't 'girls sporty', someone over on the Facebook will have to correct me if I'm wrong.) I *also* could have sworn that I saw that he recently passed (of a sudden heart attack?) ... but I couldn't find proof of that tonight when I tried to find it on the interwebs.
And, on a personal note, I had double the exposure to the mustache early on in my high school life, because he was both my homeroom teacher as a freshperson AND he taught me 10th grade English. In both cases, I remember that he just kind of looked at me bemusedly most days, not quite sure what to do with me ... or maybe he just had "resting bemusement face".
Here's to you, Mr. Webb!
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Honorees must be one of the ninety individuals listed in the faculty pages of the '89 yearbook (which means two thirds of the list are already not going to be referenced). Honorees may also be selected from the photos of support staff as well (so long as they are on the surrounding pages of the same section). Honorees must be memorable (if there are no stories, then there will be no post about that person). Honorees are chosen and ranked by me (if you disagree, start your own list on your own blog). All memories are believed to be accurate (but are being told through the lens of thirty or more years, so ... you know.)
BONUS LINK TO THE BEST MUSTACHES OF ALL TIME:https://www.esquire.com/style/grooming/advice/g1648/best-mustache-ever/NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
In just 106 days, the LHS Class of 1989 will celebrate its 30th high school reunion (on Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 7pm in the back room of the infamous Downtown Lounge) ... and to get us excited about that milestone, I'll be presenting four special TOP 30 lists -- a different one for each of the months ahead.
The December list will be the top 30 most memorable teachers/staff (see rules below), and tonight, we're remembering MR. JEROME and MRS. FAYE CHEPULIS (seen here in this awkwardly cut and pasted picture from our yearbook, bonus link is below to a quote from Jerry Chepulis when Lebanon-famous Frank Reich Sr passed).
I have absolutely no idea if guidance counselors of today are like guidance counselors of yore, but Mr. and Mrs. Chepulis ruled the guidance-roost at our high school, with Mrs. getting her claws into you as a freshperson ... and Mr. being the one who worked all the necessary back room deals as you graduated to put you on the right path for your future. They are also the second (of three) married couples at our high school during our time taking just one spot in the countdown.
And, on a personal note, I spent lots of time in their offices -- from the early ASVAB days (it turns out I had a problem with square pegs in round holes and was NOT a good candidate for military conscription) to that time previously mentioned when they signed me out of an ill-deserved in-school suspension. I can't say for sure whether it was that I was in need of a lot of counselling ... or maybe a lot of guidance ... or maybe I just had found a safe place to go to be my high school self in that room down the hall before the superintendent offices full of college marketing material and such.
Here's to you, Mr. and Mrs. Chepulis!
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Honorees must be one of the ninety individuals listed in the faculty pages of the '89 yearbook (which means two thirds of the list are already not going to be referenced). Honorees may also be selected from the photos of support staff as well (so long as they are on the surrounding pages of the same section). Honorees must be memorable (if there are no stories, then there will be no post about that person). Honorees are chosen and ranked by me (if you disagree, start your own list on your own blog). All memories are believed to be accurate (but are being told through the lens of thirty or more years, so ... you know.)
BONUS LINK TO "JERRY'S" QUOTE ABOUT PA FAMOUS FRANK REICH JR:
https://www.pennlive.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/03/former_penn_state_and_steelton.htmlNEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
In just 107 days, the LHS Class of 1989 will celebrate its 30th high school reunion (on Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 7pm in the back room of the infamous Downtown Lounge) ... and to get us excited about that milestone, I'll be presenting four special TOP 30 lists -- a different one for each of the months ahead.
The December list will be the top 30 most memorable teachers/staff (see rules below), and tonight, we're remembering ROBERT (BOO) SIMMERMON (seen here in his picture in our yearbook in one of his many many ties, bonus link is below to one of those creepy sites on the interwebs that implies he's still alive and living in Cornwall).
Ties, ties and more ties. That's what I think of when I think of Mr. Simmermon, as his office was full of them -- ties of all sizes ... ties just hanging there ... ties in his space for no known reason. That -- and how I seem to recall that he had the whole school guessing as to why his nickname was Boo. You know how the Joker has so many background stories that no one really knows the truth? I feel like his "Boo thing" was the same ...
And, on a personal note, despite the fact that I did theatre in college, I wasn't a part of the plays with which he was affiliated during our time in high school. Seeing as how I had a different Humanities teacher, I also can't say that I had the pleasure of being taught by him. It didn't matter, though, because every one couldn't help but be affected by his manic high-strung energy just walking through the halls. As my memory serves me, he was the "Robin Williams" of our little school.
Here's to you, Mr. Simmermon!
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Honorees must be one of the ninety individuals listed in the faculty pages of the '89 yearbook (which means two thirds of the list are already not going to be referenced). Honorees may also be selected from the photos of support staff as well (so long as they are on the surrounding pages of the same section). Honorees must be memorable (if there are no stories, then there will be no post about that person). Honorees are chosen and ranked by me (if you disagree, start your own list on your own blog). All memories are believed to be accurate (but are being told through the lens of thirty or more years, so ... you know.)
BONUS LINK TO THE INTERWEBS THAT SAYS HE'S ALIVE AND IN CORNWALL:https://www.mylife.com/robert-simmermon/e768424341468NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
In just 108 days, the LHS Class of 1989 will celebrate its 30th high school reunion (on Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 7pm in the back room of the infamous Downtown Lounge) ... and to get us excited about that milestone, I'll be presenting four special TOP 30 lists -- a different one for each of the months ahead.
The December list will be the top 30 most memorable teachers/staff (see rules below), and tonight, we're remembering BETTE TOEWS (seen here in full late-80's style from her picture in our yearbook, bonus link to the school board minutes I found on the interwebs that shows she was teaching as late as 2012 below).
Back when we were in school, foreign language was a requirement -- and the only choices were French, Spanish, Latin or the subject Bette taught (and the one I took for four years) ... German. Although you probably could have guessed that she taught that class by looking at the spelling of her name.
And, on a personal note, I actually did not have Fraulein Toews as an instructor, because when I was taking German 1 my freshman year, Mrs. Toews was out on maternity leave and we were all taught by Mrs. Bomberger instead (who was a short term replacement and did not make it all four years to be in our yearbook). All my subsequent classes in later years were taught by the *other* German teacher, who will show up later in this series. All the same, I did see her around every now and then in those later years for clubs and stuff after she made her return.
Here's to you, Mrs. Toews!
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Honorees must be one of the ninety individuals listed in the faculty pages of the '89 yearbook (which means two thirds of the list are already not going to be referenced). Honorees may also be selected from the photos of support staff as well (so long as they are on the surrounding pages of the same section). Honorees must be memorable (if there are no stories, then there will be no post about that person). Honorees are chosen and ranked by me (if you disagree, start your own list on your own blog). All memories are believed to be accurate (but are being told through the lens of thirty or more years, so ... you know.)
BONUS LINK TO THE 1965 NEWSPAPER REFERENCE:http://www.lebanon.k12.pa.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Minutes.03.19.12.pdfNEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
In just 109 days, the LHS Class of 1989 will celebrate its 30th high school reunion (on Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 7pm in the back room of the infamous Downtown Lounge) ... and to get us excited about that milestone, I'll be presenting four special TOP 30 lists -- a different one for each of the months ahead.
The December list will be the top 30 most memorable teachers/staff (see rules below), and tonight, we're remembering (WILLIAM) BEN LINN (seen here looking a little like Paul LYNDE in his picture from our yearbook; bonus link to the announcement in the local paper about the senior play he directed -- in 1965! -- below).
To be clear, this listing is not of the tabloid variety, and so what Mr. Linn did on his own time outside of the school that eventually got him into some trouble won't be mentioned (except for that "blind item" style comment), and instead we'll remember his long career at the high school that led him to be the head of the English department by the time my class matriculated.
And, on a personal note, he taught me both English and Humanities (a class I imagine they might not even *have* any more) and he will forever be remembered as the teacher who got the ball rolling on investigating my home life (after a two person dramatic skit I wrote for an assignment that was pretty much a cry for help) AND as the teacher who played the 70's Cher Vegas concert one day on videotape for unknown academic reasons.
Here's to you, Mr. Linn!
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Honorees must be one of the ninety individuals listed in the faculty pages of the '89 yearbook (which means two thirds of the list are already not going to be referenced). Honorees may also be selected from the photos of support staff as well (so long as they are on the surrounding pages of the same section). Honorees must be memorable (if there are no stories, then there will be no post about that person). Honorees are chosen and ranked by me (if you disagree, start your own list on your own blog). All memories are believed to be accurate (but are being told through the lens of thirty or more years, so ... you know.)
BONUS LINK TO THE 1965 NEWSPAPER REFERENCE:https://newspaperarchive.com/lebanon-daily-news-nov-18-1965-p-41/NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
In just 110 days, the LHS Class of 1989 will celebrate its 30th high school reunion (on Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 7pm in the back room of the infamous Downtown Lounge) ... and to get us excited about that milestone, I'll be presenting four special TOP 30 lists -- a different one for each of the months ahead.
The December list will be the top 30 most memorable teachers/staff (see rules below), and tonight, we're remembering THE ROTHERMELS -- both BARBARA and CRAIG (seen here in their pictures from our yearbook; bonus link to some creepy webpage that tells you what kind of car he drives below).
Okay ... okay ... maybe it's not quite right to lump Mr. and Mrs. together as one person in the countdown ... but, as it turns out, the Rothermels weren't the only married couple working at the high school -- and they won't be the only couple to be featured together in one spot in this countdown (more will be revealed as we get closer to #1 this New Year's Eve).
And, on a personal note, I actually never had *either* of these popular instructors. I'm all but positive that Mrs. taught English and Mr. taught Math -- it's just that neither one taught ME English or Math in my four years there. Maybe someone reading this post over on the Facebook will have a favorite memory of both (or either) to share.
Here's to you, Mr. and Mrs. Rothermel!
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Honorees must be one of the ninety individuals listed in the faculty pages of the '89 yearbook (which means two thirds of the list are already not going to be referenced). Honorees may also be selected from the photos of support staff as well (so long as they are on the surrounding pages of the same section). Honorees must be memorable (if there are no stories, then there will be no post about that person). Honorees are chosen and ranked by me (if you disagree, start your own list on your own blog). All memories are believed to be accurate (but are being told through the lens of thirty or more years, so ... you know.)
BONUS LINK TO THE CREEPY WEBPAGE:https://www.mylife.com/craig-rothermel/e142369936068NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
In just 111 days, the LHS Class of 1989 will celebrate its 30th high school reunion (on Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 7pm in the back room of the infamous Downtown Lounge) ... and to get us excited about that milestone, I'll be presenting four special TOP 30 lists -- a different one for each of the months ahead.
The December list will be the top 30 most memorable teachers/staff (see rules below), and tonight, we're remembering the late IRWIN E STUCKEY (seen here in his picture from our yearbook; bonus link to his obituary below).
Truth be told, we may have once or twice theorized that Mr. Stuckey and Mr. Norman Bates had similar tendencies, but that was just because chemistry is hard, and kids in 10th grade trying to learn chemistry have to have some kind of outlet for accepting the fact that not all of us can memorize the periodic table AS HE REQUIRED ... and so we lash out and say inappropriate things about our teachers.
And, on a personal note, it is a true statement that I may remember the safety speech he gave us about the special chemical shower above the lab station (a metal cord you were supposed to pull if someone somehow accidentally got acid on them) than the atomic mass of thallium (204.3833, according to the interwebs).
Here's to you, Mr. Stuckey!
RULES FOR THIS TOP 30 LIST: Honorees must be one of the ninety individuals listed in the faculty pages of the '89 yearbook (which means two thirds of the list are already not going to be referenced). Honorees may also be selected from the photos of support staff as well (so long as they are on the surrounding pages of the same section). Honorees must be memorable (if there are no stories, then there will be no post about that person). Honorees are chosen and ranked by me (if you disagree, start your own list on your own blog). All memories are believed to be accurate (but are being told through the lens of thirty or more years, so ... you know.)
BONUS LINK TO HIS OBITUARY:
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/lebanon-pa/irwin-stuckey-4356732
NEWS FROM OUR CLASS ON THE FACEBOOK (IF YOU ARE A MEMBER):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/189980661939188/
