We are soon forgotten even if we are still alive

OBSERVATIONS FROM A HEARSE:

We are soon forgotten even if we are still alive.

I took an unintentional trip down memory lane last night. My daughter is beginning middle school next year and she is a candidate for several magnet school programs. Last night we attended Fulmore Middle School (Fulmore Jr. High as it was known to many of us). The school has sure changed since 1982 when I left there. The old gym in the main part of the school has been made into classrooms. The courtyard has been constructed into the new library, where now the original front of the school can be seen. The stage area that was in the new gym has been bricked in and is now a dance studio. The industrial arts classrooms are now the art and robotics classrooms. The principal’s office is in the old home economics class rooms and the entire campus is now a magnet school for Law, Humanities and International Studies. I walked through the band hall and had memories of sitting playing trumpet and baritone and of course Mrs. Farmer. When I walked into the Big Gym I instantly could hear Coach Goss and Coach Andy Jackson as the basketball teams ran drills. I can also remember the pep rallies held in the gym and singing the school fight song On Ye Falcons! with Harvey Williams leading us.

I met some of the current staff and they were amazed to hear the school had a mascot. I happen to be the first mascot. To clear some things up from history many think Todd Harbour was the first because he wore the costume at the pep rally where the Falcon made its appearance to the student body, but the costume was paid for by my mother and the costume was made for me, I wore it for school administrators and had to get their approval before the costume became part of Falcon lore. Mr. Ellerbrock was the deciding factor in having another student share in being the Falcon for reasons it was to be shared by an 8th grade and 7th grade student. Since I was a 7th grader I was bumped, the only problem is the costume was made for someone of my stature so they had to find someone who would fit in it, and that person was Todd. The present day administrators had no idea that there was a mascot. So somewhere over the years the who knows what happened to the original costume. A memory is lost.

Last night I could still remember a lot of the names and where my homeroom was (Mrs. Casarez), I could remember the many band rehearsals in the old portable (it’s still there). I can remember the mile and half runs around the tennis courts and Coach Goss’ shouts of “You Ding-a-ling!” The thing that stuck out most is the people who teach there now do not know of the past and those memories of a furry mascot mean nothing to them, because they know nothing about it.

In my 29 years of being in the funeral business what I have learned is we are remembered by people for about two generations and then forgotten about. No one comes to visit your grave anymore, We are a memory. I was saddened to know that in life we can sometimes be forgotten as well, two generations have passed through that school since we were there, and that little fuzzy blue costumed bird is no longer there. Maybe someday it will make it back, but today it’s a memory.