MAY 1975: GRADUATION MEMORIES & MOM – Around The Frame

Forty years! That’s how long it’s been since I graduated in the fourth graduation class of Wayne High School. A recent notice in The Waynedale News alerted me to the class’s upcoming reunion. I have never attended any of them, but after forty years it seems to be a good time to get caught up with former classmates.

Our graduation ceremony hit a snag when the weather took a turn for the worst: Instead of parading through the football uprights, the ceremony was held in the gym with limited seating. My Uncle Henry and Aunt Mary were visiting us from Willcox, Arizona and it was my Uncle Henry who drove me out to IPFW the following day so I could sit for my foreign Language (German) exam.

The ’75 Sentry yearbook notes fires destroyed historic buildings on The Landing and Diehm Museum. Workmen set explosives to bring down the Hotel Keenan soon after the Van Orman suffered a similar fate. The year heralded the advent of PBS Channel 39 too. The Sentry notes controversial issues like abortion, the Equal Rights Amendment, drafting women and drug use weighed heavily on students’ minds.

Today, many of these same issues are still in the news. The Ash Brokerage complex is being constructed on the site of the Van Orman. The City of Fort Wayne recently purchased several buildings on The Landing to redevelop it into a destination for entertainment, eating and shopping. How many of you remember watching a movie, purchasing candy or eating a nice salad at the Blue Mountain or browsing for that special gift at The Mole Hole? Women are still demanding equal pay for equal work and even Pope Francis is now championing their cause. The legalization of marijuana by some states has rekindled the debate on the harmfulness of drug use. Right-to-Life marchers still gather every January to show their respect for life The aphorism by Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, “The more things change the more they remain the same” seems to ring true to at least a degree.

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So congratulations to all graduates. I wish you success in all of your endeavors and where life takes you.

It is time for Mother’s Day and I turn my thoughts to my mom. My mother took a needlepoint class at Elmhurst High School through continuing education. Her teacher was my older sister Karen’s (Elmhurst ’70) home economics teacher Catherine Wakefield. The sampler is comprised of 81 blocks. I remember my mother figuratively tearing her hair out when she had to take out stitches more than once in order to get them all correct.

On my mom’s last visit to the BAQ studio she presented it to me. As I look it over I discover her initials “DL” in one block and ’75 in another. Forever this sampler will be linked to my high school graduation year and all of the promise it held for me. Happy Mother’s Day to all women whether a mom or not who nurture children and bring out their best!

Lois Levihn is the owner of Born Again Quilts where quilts are restored, bought and sold along with vintage and reproduction fabrics. Located at 4005 South Wayne Ave., she may be contacted at bornagainquilts@frontier.com or 260-515-9446.