Dan O'Fallon's
20 Year Reunion Speech
Your honor, I humbly deny the accusations against me. Let's face it, that little lamb is lying I was just trying to help her over the fence. Oops, wrong speech!
Here we go. Ebert asked me to be funny and brief. I'm a lawyer for God's sakes, I can be neither funny nor brief. It would be like asking Ebert to grow hair. So if you need another drink, now would be the time to get it. I'll still be here when you get back.
Jimmer Sullivan called me last summer from Rhode Island, on his way to Japan and said, "what's going on with the reunion". I told him the reunion was in good hands. He said, "you mean neither of us has anything to do with it" and I said "exactly". Jimmer by the way is a captain in the Navy and in charge of protecting the country. I feel safer already. Jimmer even worked in the Pentagon. Apparently, Jimmer, the Joint Chief of Staff did not get Vice Principal Kinney's letter about your insubordinate behavior at a certain Helena High basketball game, although I understand your first order in Japan will be to paint "China sucks" on all the battleships.
Anyway's, our classmates Nancy Daniel Anderson as chair, Jeff Thomas as vice chair, Kelle Horne McMahon as secretary, and Larry Cawlfield as treasurer took the bull by the horns, so to speak, and set about organizing this magnificent event. Larry did a wonderful job of holding down expenses, although I understand there was some concern when Larry started asking for the e-mail addresses of Swiss Bank Accounts.
Speaking of Bull, our classmates were hindered, I mean assisted, by the likes of Jeff Ebert, Dave Donaldson, Joe Robinson, and Rick Foster. For the last year, these four made sure the bartenders in town did not go hungry. And when you think of Bull, who could forget Karla Nagy Johnson. Also assisting in the planning process were Rod Applegate, Steve Arlint, and Wanda Whitley Arlint, Ann Miller Glueckert, Tracy Dahl Halubka, Lee Donaldson McDonald, Gayle Oelkers McDowell, Karen Ludtke Putnam, Rhonda Marsall Sullivan, and Cathy Poole Yetter.
By late fall, planning was underway and for the next year, our classmates sacrificed on our behalf. Some took sacrifice more literally than others. Nancy Daniel Anderson's daughter, Jessica, decided to risk life and limb and took a fall in the parking garage for the Class of '78 and is now in several casts with broken bones. Nancy, tell Jessica if we had a purple heart, she would get it, but we hope she will appreciate some drunken applause. Actually, Jessica was so impressed with the class of '78 she has asked to go to private high school, out of state.
As a first order of business, the committee enlisted Melody Hayes to handle registration. Melody's years of experience as an elementary teacher made her perfect for the job. Speaking of elementary school children, Joe McMahon is a principal. When one of our classmates like Joe rises to this kind of a position it causes the rest of us, his '78 classmates to be filled with, well, what is the word I'm looking for.....FEAR! Did you people who still live in Helena forget what he was like? Well, it's your tax money.
Now I understand there were several suggestions for Friday night. One idea was a nice night out at Reader's Alley, or as we always knew it in High School, those buildings at the bottom of thrill hill. However, I understand there was some talk of just having the whole thing at Nordahl's house, just an extended New Year's Eve Party. You all remember those New Year's Eve Parties, right? Yeah, neither do we. Good Party!
There was also talk of having it at Rimini, where we had the Senior Class Picnic. It appears that if we had done that, we could have been on national TV. No, Weston is not a member of the Capital High Class of '78, although I understand he may have gone to Helena High. Hey, I don't know how these rumors get started.
The committee also thought about having the event at the Civic Center, just like the All Night Party. You all remember the All Night Party, right? Yeah, me neither. Good Party!
In any event, Karen Ludtke Putnam took charge of Friday night. Now Reader's Alley is a classy place, and I understand this is the first time they have ever witnessed this many impromptu "chug a lug" contests. Karen, the Reader's Alley management gave us a brief note of appreciation, and I have it right here:
"Dear Class of '78,
Don't call us, we'll call you."
Kelle and Gayle took charge of the Saturday picnic, or as it's often called, the "Oh my God, we've reproduced" event. Kelle and Gayle's first job was to make sure that Joe and Tim didn't help. Since the event was slated for East Helena, I understand some though was given to wagon rides down the slag pile, but that idea was wisely nixed. In any event, Kelle was so proud of her work on the picnic that she didn't even show up. Dave Donaldson, Lee Donaldson McDonald, and Rod Applegate took charge of tonight's event. Of course, tonight we literally took a trip down memory lane, by school bus. Again, just before the event began, we received a note that Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Montana Highway Patrol have honored Dave, Lee, and Rod for keeping the class of '78 off of the streets. The citizens of Marysville, on the other hand, are considering a class action suit.
By the way, Dave encourages everyone to visit him down at the Lewis and Clark Fairgrounds. Dave is perfect for the Fairgrounds job. He always had a certain fondness for animals and we knew he would end up with a job knee deep in horse.....manure. Hey, it took 20 years and seven years of higher education to learn a better word for shit. By the way, I understand the late night submarine races are still being held at the Fairgrounds.
Of course, these were not the only activities. Let's thank Jeff Ebert and Joe Robinson for the golf scramble. Actually, it wasn't meant to be a scramble, it just turned out that way. The t-shirts and hats were organized be the Arlint's, and Gayle, Kelle, Larry, and Jeff organized the door prizes donated by Steve Skain's, Dean Folkvord, Kim O'Connell Davis, Joe Hrella, Joe Mullikins, Scott Kottas, and the Ghost Art Gallery. Skains donated his new book "Why Plant Grass When You Can Carpet Your Lawn". This was a follow up to his first book "Carpet: It's Not Just For Floors Anymore". And Dean donated a lovely bread basket from Wheat Montana. Dean, we assured the people who won the bread that it is even better when it is fresh.
Let's also thank Cathy Campbell Kaiser for tonight's video. Cathy, we know where you live. Actually, for a small fee, Cathy will make sure your picture does not appear in the next reunion video. Cathy, the check is in the mail.
A special thanks to Kathy Lockyear, the current principal at Capital High who has been a big help to the reunion committee in coordinating the registration and giving the Committee all the help they needed.
Last but not least, the people with real power, Karla Nagy Johnson and Rick Foster, who are organizing the memory book. This is the book that will help all of our classmates remember the weekend's event. For a small fee, Rick and Karla will even make sure the memories are accurate.
On a serious note, maybe the memory book is really what this event is all about. For the better part of eighteen years the 350 people in the Capital High Class of 1978 grew up together. We had the honor and great good fortune to live, love, and learn in the state that is now called "The Last Best Place". In 1978, we were thrust out into, and upon, the world. I think we knew at the time we graduated in 1978 that we as a class had something special. We certainly weren't the most athletic class or the prettiest class that ever graduated from Capital High, but we had a love of life, a curiosity about life and a sense of humor that was unique.
I remember talking with Mr. DeKam, who many of us had as a teacher our senior year, about our class. For some reason, by Monday morning, Mr DeKam would know every single thing we had done to get into mischief or embarrass ourselves over the weekend, and he took great joy spending the first 30 minutes of class every Monday rehashing our exploits, usually to our chagrin. Mr. DeKam said that what he always enjoyed about this class is that we applied the same sense of fun and bonsai attitude with which we attacked a weekend to everything we did, be it school, work, or play.
And maybe that is what this weekend is all about, to rekindle friendship, to renew old acquaintances and to remember again who we are and where we come from. I for one am incredibly proud to be a member of the Capital High Class of 1978.
So let us all raise our glasses in toast to the Class of 1978,
those who are here,
those who are not,
and those who have gone before us.
Thank You.