REUNION: Joy of coming home

I am a Coeur d’Alene born and raised Idahoan who is returning for our 45th high school reunion next weekend. I have been gone for 45 years but want the public to know how proud they ought to be of the great mark the class of ‘67 has left on the world and they have done so throughout the world.

We were raised during the Diamond Cup Races, the days when all parents knew each other, the slab dances, the Fourth of July parades with logging trucks, Army tanks and marching bands.

We cruised Sherman before the advent of one way streets and high rises. We went to the Wilma and Roxy theaters for movies, we water skied all summer, ice skated and hooky bobbed all winter.

We were lucky - we knew the town was proud of us back then. We are proud of our ties to this town now.

As we return to our roots, we will thank Coeur d’Alene, our parents, our teachers and our neighbors who all had a role in making our lives meaningful with productive contributions to society — wherever we might live today.

Thank you Coeur d’Alene!

GARY OLSEN

Palm Springs, Calif.