Dear Classmates:

      It is hard to know where to begin to tell you about our amazing Class of ’59 60th Reunion.

I arrived at the Holiday Inn Hotel Riverview on Sunday, 28th. Scott and I loaded our luggage plus the EHS boxes and display boards on to the luggage carts! Notice I said “cart(s)!   I met with the hotel sales manager Clayton who immediately took us to the Sumter Room, which was to be our Hospitality Room for the duration. It was perfect for our event; we even had a private bathroom, a real plus for us “seniors”! I spent the afternoon organizing the room and, as time went on, classmates began to drift in. By evening, we had quite a group assembled. And thus began our evenings of reminiscing about our school days and catching up on our current happenings.

      First and foremost, the foreboding weather report I checked out two weeks prior to the reunion kept on changing until we had three perfect days to celebrate our 60th! Temperatures in the high 70’s, a nice breeze, and beautiful blue skies. What more could we ask?

      One of the best things about our reunion was Port City Car Service owned and operated by “Norman,” our knight in shining armor”! He, Bec, and his other called on employees made our trips to and from Old Charleston not only easy but fun! Norman’s favorite quote, “Don’t worry Ms. Hines! Everything will be fine!” and “Fine” it was! Each day two Port City luxury limos (seats for 14 each) were in the parking lot at 9:00 a.m. sharp and at the Visitor’s Center at 4:00 p.m. on the nose…except for Wednesday that is. (Skip can tell you that story!  Not my fault!!)  If anyone needed a ride back to the hotel or into the city at any time, Norman was on the spot. He was a wealth of information relating all kinds of facts about the city…but careful not to detract from our tours. Best of all, he got us onto and off of Kiawah Island in record time with no hitches. (Not easy to do according to the Hills)  Hats off to Norman for providing excellent service, beautiful vehicles (no school buses for Norman!), interesting facts, and and humor during our rides!

     Each day classmates went in different directions to see various sights in the historic city of Charleston. Ft. Sumter was one of the popular destinations. It was there that that the first shots of the Civil War were fired! Bus tours via bus or horse and carriage were also popular. Some of our classmates left the city proper to visit a plantation. The Aquarium and the Market were also popular destinations. How did we know about all these attractions? Well, our thanks goes out to Ron Reed and Jay Coats who met half way between their homes in FL to discuss the top Charleston sights.  Ron then compiled a list of tours and restaurants; plus he secured a stack of tour books and city maps which were available to us in the Hospitality room as we arrived on Sunday. He couldn’t have made it any easier for us to sight see!

     Wayne and Carol’s delicious wines certainly helped loosen our tongues as we gathered for meal and in the Sumter Room. They were served at our hotel dinner and at Cathy and Bob’s dinner on Kiawah Island. This is the second time the Tamarelli Wineries have contributed to one of our reunions! Our thanks to Wayne and Carol!  If you love wines, note their website:  www.tamarellivineyards.com   For those who attended,  here is a list of the wines served in case you want to order: Malbec, Gran Corte (Malbec blended with Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and Merlot), Cabernet Franc, Rose, Dulce (sweet; made from late-harvested Cabernet

Franc)

     Monday night was our first official gathering. The elevator stopped on the 15th ® floor of the hotel and opened to the Harborview Restaurant where we awaited a buffet dinner.  The view from this round hotel/restaurant was spectacular! As we waited for the buffet to be set, Wayne served his wines and all did partake!  A screen partitioned us from the rest of the patrons…that was all we needed. As the wine flowed, so did the conversation. After dinner, we “retired” to the Sumter Room for a program. Roz welcomed us all to our 60th, entertaining us with a joke, of course! Glenn then presented the Treasurer’s report…short and sweet! Next Paul, our able President, proceeded to conduct a class meeting 2019 style!  This produced many laughs and I think we were all thankful that we graduated in 1959!  Finally, I related how communications and our vocabulary has changed since the 50’s and 60's, finishing with the thought that it turns out that “there are more of those lost words and expressions than Carter had pills!” On that note, the program was over and the visiting began….until late into the night for some of us!

      Tuesday’s highlight was the trip to Kiawah Island thanks to Cathy and Bob Hill! They made our trip so special. First we stopped at The Sanctuary, a world class hotel and resort, to see the amazing paintings which adorned the walls showcasing the spiral staircases at either end of the lobby.  And when we walked directly to the back of the lobby, we saw an amazing view of the ocean! Next, Norman and Bec whisked us to The Oceans, the world class golf course which is considered one of the most difficult in the world.  It was host to the 2012 PGA Tournament and the 2019 Ryder Cup; and the 2021 future PGA Tournament will be held there.  Once again, we saw a magnificent view of the ocean, this time bordering the 18th green of this amazing course!  Finally, we departed for the Hills’ Residence, a beautiful home for entertaining. Since we had the whole class together, we immediately took our class photo on their outside steps. On the front porch there was a bar set up where we could “order” the drink of our choice (including Tamarelli wines) from a lovely bartender. In addition to the front porch, there is a back deck, and also a screened enclosed porch. Because of the beautiful weather we were able to take advantage of all three. The meal was catered by two lovely ladies who were all smiles as we exclaimed over the delicious spread. Needless to say, no one went away hungry. It was here that Paul and Jack presented me with my beautiful sweet grass basket! And we again, passed the evening with tales of our adventures past and present since we graced the halls of EHS!

Norman and Bec arrived at 9:00 and we sadly left Cathy and Bob’s lovely home. Their evening was the highlight of the reunion!

     Wednesday brought us to our last day together. We said good-by to the Wards and to Ron and Wayne Champ (Ron’s son). Those remaining either relaxed at the hotel and/or went into the city. At 1:00 we met at Magnolias, a famous historic Charleston Restaurant upstairs in a private room. Our meal began with the southern favorites: Fried Green Tomatoes and Magnolias specialty Housemade Pimiento Cheese and ended with a choice of two desserts: Southern Pecan Pie or a Cheesecake Brownie! The food was fantastic as was the service! From there, some classmates returned for the hotel to gather their luggage to head to the airport. Others spent the afternoon taking in the last sights of the city.

     Upon returning to the hotel, packing began for many, and I, sadly, had to pack the Reunion boxes and return the Sumter Room to its former self! Those remaining visited on and off as we said our good byes…our 60th drawing to a close.  But not a final good bye…we are looking forward to celebrating our EHS Class of '59's 80th Birthday Bash in 2021 in the Burg!  Hope to see you then!