By Dorothy Burns (nee Stouffer)
Class of 1972

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. This quotation from Charles Dickens', A Tale of Two Cities, describes the high school years aptly. As the 75th Anniversary Celebration of Fort Erie Secondary School fast approaches, I find myself looking back a lot these days … back to the fun times and the not so fun times.

While I can't recall (and frankly don't want to remember) my academic life at FESS, I do remember some people and events that have become a permanent part of my memory. See how many of them you share with me.

Do you recall???

…the yearly Winter Carnival when we decorated our cars and ourselves for the big parade around town to show off the Snow King and Queen and their Princesses, making ice sculptures that sometimes melted into unrecognizable lumps before the day had barely started, painting banners, signs, and sometimes bodies and mixing them up with fun, food and music?

…Mr. Hutchinson and Mr. Russell, who took a boring subject and made it fun and interesting?

…Pep rallies, when we'd stuff straw in a dummy that represented the opposing team, then cheer and yell as we burned him in a big bonfire? We had plenty of team spirit and hoarse voices the next day.

...Operettas, with their realistic scenery, well practiced melodies and interesting costumes, usherettes taking you to your seats, the hush that fell as the curtain rose and you saw your classmates transformed into characters from different times and cultures, or how amazed you were that the quarterback from the football team could belt out a song and mostly stay on key?

…Mr. Fell, who opened our minds to the history of the past and how important it is to our future?

… the tree that caused a library to be built around it? (It’s still there)

…Mrs. Perkins, who opened the world of books and stories to us and created a thirst that will never be quenched as long as there are more books to be read?

…the tragedy of not having a date for Saturday night and sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring?

…Mr. Yasko, who taught us to parlez français whether we wanted to or not?

…Sadie Hawkins’ Dances, where the girls would summon up all their nerve and ask out the boy. (I never was sure who should pay or who should walk who/whom home)?

…Walk-a-thons and Bounce-a-thons for the Peace Bridge Area United Appeal and the canned goods drive for the needy?

…Miss Mather and Miss Dobbie, who taught us to cook and sew and be domestic? (My 2 1/2 year old grand daughter said to me just last week, "Gramma, you're a good cooker!")

…the big student Walk Out of 1971, led by Tim Lagace, when we protested the “work to rule” policy on behalf of our teachers, asking for smaller classes and got our faces on TV on Buffalo station WBEN?

…Mr. Jarvie, who evoked terror in the meek and palpable discomfort in even the toughest of the tough guys?

…parties that started small, but then the whole town showed up, and the police soon after? (I hear there was more than one of these)

…Mr. Simpson, with his cool classic cars and mathematical slide rules (prehistoric forerunners of today’s calculators)?

…climbing the town water tower?

…when the Senior Falcons Football Team became Zone 3 Champs in 1970?

…Mr. Reichert, who’s quick sly fox jumped over the lazy brown dog? (I still can't type with proper finger placement).

…freezing your legs in the winter, in mini-skirts and pantyhose and having to walk over the Central Avenue Bridge from the North End, or the Sugar Bowl from the South End? Either way it was brutal when the wind was blowing. I don’t know what prompted the change in the dress code, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it were because a few girls got frostbite.

… watching the cheerleading teams practice in the hallways outside the new gym and hearing their calls. Gimme an F!

…all night movies at the Mustang Drive-in theatre?

…Dances at the Y, purple gym bloomers, faking your period to get out of pool classes, spares with Ma Jackson, spaghetti lunches, detentions, fire safety drills, sneaking a smoke in the washroom, the school band, halter tops, pledging for fraternities and sororities, Prom night, teenage angst, the Gymnastics team, clogs, fishnet stockings, pet rocks, bell bottom jeans, William’s dock, watching the “submarine races”, the Coal Docks, miniskirts, the Chip Wagon, the sand fly sprayer, the Old Dance Hall, ice skating on Black Creek, Crystal Beach Amusement Park, I could go on and on and …

If you can remember all that, then you have lots of good memories like I do. On the last day of high school I remember cleaning the few things that remained out of my locker and feeling this overwhelming sadness, because I knew I would probably never see some of those people again. Sadly, some of them are gone now, but the memories remain and will never be forgotten.

Two years ago I felt compelled to share some of those memories and reconnect with my past. I signed up with a website where you can register under your school name and had hopes of getting in touch with old friends. When I found out you had to pay a yearly fee to be in touch with those listed, I decided to start a website of my own where people could reconnect for free. I hope you’ll come take a look and enjoy some of the fun things I have posted there. I've had many comments and compliments on the website. Best friends have reunited, people have shared memories and everyone seems to be enjoying it. The address is www.oocities.org/fessgrads

Bob and I have travelled around the province and lived in many places with his banking career. Although we live in Burlington now, and we’ve had many homes during that time, we have always thought of Fort Erie as our home. We look forward to reconnecting with old friends at the reunion and making a few new ones.

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