Last month’s class photo in our Guess Who section came to us from the collection of Atlanta KCOBA member, Derrick Wright. It just happens to have been my class, 5AD1, in 1965. Don’t look now, but I am seated in the front row.
While all the faces in the photo looked familiar, I could not put a name to about half of them. Frantic inquiries to several old boys proved fruitless. Responses were along the lines of, “I recognize the faces, but no names come to mind; it’s been too long ago.” Too long ago- indeed, it’s been over 40 years. Some of us have now forgotten more than we remember.
It was another member of that 5AD1 class who came to the rescue. Howard “Clats” Clayton is now an associate professor of Management Science at the Auburn University School of Business in Alabama. While passing through Atlanta recently he contacted me to see if we had a KCOBA meeting that weekend. We did not, but we exchanged contact information and after a couple of emails, Howard supplied many of the missing names. Howard is in the third row of that picture. I have not seen him since leaving KC.
From time to time, I exchange emails with Ian Balfour who is now a pediatric cardiologist in St. Louis, Missouri. Ian’s late brother, Andre, was a coworker of mine at Coca-Cola near the end of the last century. I saw Ian when he visited Atlanta during his brother’s illness. Ian is in the third row of the photo.
The word on the street is that Anthony Hugh, aka “Muggeries,” is a top thoracic surgeon somewhere in England. He is in the second row. Also in the second row is Daryl Crosskill who I hear is back in England (he was born in England) working as a social scientist on racial equality issues.
Missing from the picture is Donald Chen who is now an Ear, Nose and Throat surgeon at Kingston Public Hospital in Jamaica. Apparently, Donald sneaked out of class for a couple of minutes only to hear on his return that we had taken a class photo.
According to his cousin Ivor, Victor Nugent is hanging out in Provo, Utah. And “Blasto” Moore is reported to be a doctor somewhere.
Glen Chong in the back row is now deceased. His life was cut short while making a deposit at a bank and a robber shot him. He was an entrepreneur and operated several businesses in Jamaica. I had lunch with him a few months before his untimely death. He was a gentle soul and a wonderful human being.
It seems like only yesterday our class was congregating under the mango tree near the library and asking “Dougs” questions. We were allowed to ask any question about any subject whatsoever. Where did all the time go?
I would love to hear from the others, where they are and how have they been doing.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days o’auld lang syne?
