The 119th Troy High School Alumni Reception was held Friday evening, May 22, at the Troy Memorial Auditorium.
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Following a light buffet and social time, the alumni assembled in the Memorial Auditorium. Master of Ceremonies James Denkenberger, Class of 1964, welcomed the group and asked for a moment of silence of Bob Grantier, former teacher and Troy Superintendent of Schools, who died on April 25; and Lois "Tucker" VanNess Crandell, who died on January 27. Mr. Denkenberger said that both of them had "contributed time and effort in restarting the Alumni Association."
The audience joined members of the Troy Chamber Choir in the singing of The Star Spangled Banner.
Mr. Denkenberger then thanked the teachers in the Troy system. "They shaped our lives, made a difference in us and built character in us." He asked the teachers who were present to stand, and the audience applauded in appreciation. The audience also applauded for the parents of the graduating seniors, "They have a difficult and enjoyable job," Mr. Denkenberger said.
He also asked for a round of applause for the "Distinguished Alumni" who were present. They are depicted in the Gallery of Honor outside of the auditorium. "They made our community and our country what it is today," he said. "They were outstanding in their field." Noting that many Troy High School graduates had won the Keystone Farmer Degree from the FFA, Mr. Denkenberger read Paul Harvey's, "Why God Made A Farmer" in their honor.
The Chamber Choir led the audience in singing the Alma Mater and then Mr. Denkenberger introduced the first speaker, Keith Robbins, class of 1945. He said "There were 105 of us when we started as freshmen; we graduated 63." He said "The war took some," and others went to work. He described the realities of rationing, and wartime shortages. "You could get toothpaste in tubes, but only if you turned in an empty tube." He recalled that penicillin was reserved for military use. "Everything was toward the war effort," he said. "I was deferred [from the draft] and stayed home and helped on the farm. "But I am sorry I was, All my friends had war stories to tell, and all I could talk about was milking cows and feeding chickens." He remembered, "Because of the polio epidemic in 1944, school didn't start until October 2." His class did not take a senior trip, instead donating the money for a First Aid room at the school. He told of the aircraft spotting tower at Big Pond, which was staffed by volunteers who reported all airplanes within view of the tower. He closed by saying, "We are allotted only so many words in a lifetime, so I have been careful. They didn't say what would happen when you run out of words, so I'm not going to take a chance!"
Next to speak was Richard Eaton, Class of 1955. President of the student council at THS, he later taught history in Elmira schools and also served as Bradford County Commissioner. He said his class has enjoyed a get-together every five years. "Ours was the 85th commencement at Troy, and we had 88 members of the class. 71 are still alive, though some are "walking wounded." "We were born in the Depression, grew up in Word War II, came of age in the Korean War years and graduated in days of peace. He said that many of the students walked to one-room or country schools, and came to high school in Troy in ninth grade, although if parents paid tuition they could come in 7th and 8th grade. "We had no TV, no computers, no cell phones; very few had cars. We were part of 'the lucky generation,' We not raised with a lot of material goods, but with good values and work habits." He asked the alumni classes to consider gifts to the Troy Foundation. He closed by telling the Class of 2015 "you will be back here in 50 years - What will you tell the Class of 2065?"
William McCord spoke for the Class of 1965. He graduated from Penn State in 1969 He is vice-president of an international chemical company near Cleveland, Ohio and drove from there to Troy. "I had a pleasant ride from Cleveland," he said. He asked his classmates to stand up and, pretending not to recognize them, said, "I have no earthly idea who these people are." He advised the Class of 2015 to have a reunion every five years. He said "Fifty years is a long time but a little shorter than I thought!" He told the class of 2015 that a new Ford Mustang cost $2,700; A corvette $4,300; and gasoline was 23¢ a gallon. "Color TVs cost $400 - now you can get one five times better for $150." He joked that his class can still watch their favorite TV shows, thanks to the digital age, they are the same shows we watched in 1965!" He said, "there are thousands of things we have every day that didn't exist in 1965." The world has shrunk since 1965 - we didn't communicate with people outside of the United States. "I will fly to Portugal on May 31, and will be back June 3 at 6 pm for dinner at home with my wife." He said he has traveled to 53 countries and 49 states and has nearly 3 million miles in the air, but "my favorite place in the word is Troy. Rather than just talking about what has changed since 1965, I'll talk about what has not changed. This community still has real solid values, good character, is safe, fear doesn't drive our thought process. we still make or grow things others want."He said "This school is five times better than Cleveland schools. Students who graduate here are ready to face the world!"
Tim Chamberlain spoke for the class of 1975. He wore a Hawaii-an shirt in honor of his daughter, who just graduated from Hawaii Pacific University. "Ours was the first class to graduate from the new Troy facility. While it was being built, in our Junior year we had to go half days for the whole year. We shared the junior high building with the middle school. We were the first class to graduate from the gymnasium. I was the last of six speakers that night, and hid a whistle under my cap and let it loose into the microphone. My diploma was held up for a few weeks." He advised the Class of 2015 - "Dare to take chances, There's plenty of time to become an adult. Take a chance on a dream…take those shots while you can, and when your kids grow up, take them again!" He asked the audience to remember when school budgets come up, "arts and music have been decimated throughout this country. Music might make a huge difference for a child who is not an athlete or a scholar." He reminded the graduates, "Friends and family will always have the doors open for you."
Bruce Vickery spoke for the Class of 1985. He practices law in Wellsboro. He said his class is having its 30th Reunion at the Vets Club on June 27, but joked, I can see how fat and old everyone looks on Facebook!" He congratulated Evan Williams for winning the nominations for Bradford County Judge. "It's so cool to have a judge from Troy. You should be very proud of it…I am very proud to be a part of this high school." He said that Wellsboro is modeling its foundation after the Troy High School Foundation. He said that one class mate, Terry Spalding, works for the Clint Bowyer crew in NASCAR. "He is the right front tire man - he's 47 years old and can change tire in four seconds. Another member of the class, Jeff Nelson, is in charge of the security team for the Governor of Pennsylvania." Mr. Vickery mentioned the late Mr. Grantier. "He was our history teacher, our coach, our friend. We know how lucky we are to have him in our lives." He remembers the football team picked up Mr. Grantier's blue MG and put it on the sidewalk. "Coach Grantier did not find humor in that - he ran the team for two hours!"
Mr. Vickery encouraged the Class of 2015 to remain in touch with each other. "I will be playing golf tomorrow with eight people, seven of them are from Troy High School."
Nicole Carman Harris spoke for the Class of 1995. She is an Outdoor Education Specialist at Mt. Pisgah State Park and has been dubbed "The Mayor of Armenia Mountain," by Charles Fox. She observed that some members of her class have sons or daughters in the class of 2015. She recalled their days at TECE. "If we finished our work early, we could go to the library and create commercials - unsupervised. When we were in high school we learned to be part of a classy team, thanks to coaches Lane and McNeal." Mrs. Harris thanked the teachers, staff and coaches "who took the time to make us well-rounded citizens." She told the graduates, "Money doesn't buy happiness. Choose a career you love and are passionate about." She says "farming is in our blood and our roots. I am proud to continue the legacy - everyone eats, and everyone wears clothes, and we all should know where our food comes from." She told the class, "Ours is a throwaway society. We have to rethink that." She closed by saying, "Enthusiasm is contagious," and "I am proud to be a part of this great community."
When he introduced the next speaker, Bryant Martin, 2005, Mr. Denkenberger, said, "His grandfather Henry was our school bus driver. There were no snow days. You got to school the best way you knew how." He said that on one real snowy day Mr. Martin knew they might have a hard time getting up a hill. "He had everyone go to the back and jump up and down when he hit the bottom of the hill. Wayne Fleming said "give her hell, Hank!" We never would have made it if it hadn't been for Wayne Fleming!"
Mr. Martin is an actor, and he said "actors generally don't have to come up with original material, so I don't know what I'm going to say tonight." He worked in the business for nearly ten years before getting a TV role. "It was on the Adult Swim network. "I threw a grenade into a bowl of bacon. $60,000 worth of actor training, and this is what I get!" He also had a role on the ABC show "Forever," which was recently cancelled. He resided in Westport, Connecticut, the second richest county in America. "I told people there, 'In Troy we have guns in our houses so we don't have to call the cops when burglars come!" He told the class of 2015 to "pursue their passion with every member of your being." He said that his mother went to college after her kids had grown up and left home. "She followed her dream. If you don't follow it, chase it. Go get it."
The girls of the Chamber Choir performed Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and then Rachel Rogers responded for the graduating class of 2015. She thanked the audience and their parents, and especially thanked the teachers for being "selflessly devoted to us." She also thanked the alumni saying, "We are nothing without those who come before us." She took a few minutes "to brag on behalf of our class," listing accomplishments and achievements in sports, including the District IV football title and the volleyball team's two consecutive trips to the state tournament, and also recalled activities of her class over the years. "We were put on earth to make it a better place." She said, "Troy High School has prepared us…our teachers go above and beyond." She was presented with a rose by the Master of Ceremonies, and then read the names of her classmates who were present tonight. Each came to the stage and received a token and shook hands with each speaker.
The seniors each dropped a ticket into a container for a prize drawing. Shamyrah Woleslage won the grand prize, a Samsung Galaxy phone. Emily Lathrop and Alexis Martin won gift cards.
The audience joined with the Chamber Choir in singing We'll Meet Again, and the group dismissed to the lobby for a reception with music by Paul Zaleskie at the piano.