PUBLICATION OF THE VAN HORN HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
The Falcon Legacy V O L U M E
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A MESSAGE FROM YOUR PRESIDENT first semesters at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Missouri State University, respecGreetings, and warm wishes for a tively. successful 2012! Looking ahead, your Association We’re now well past the halfway will soon be accepting applications from Van Horn senpoint of year four of iors wishing to compete for Van Horn’s new era as our 2012 $1000 scholarpart of the Independship, and we have already ence School District, received nominations for and the successes keep the 2012 Van Horn Hall of happening at the Home Honor inductees. We enof the Falcons! courage members in good Last fall saw the Grand standing to nominate felRe-opening of a refurlow Falcon alums whose bished Little Theatre distinguished work merits (thanks to the generosinduction into the Hall. ity of Matt and Kathy Lusso Mallinson, both ‘76), the in- To our more than 100 members, duction of the first nine members of thank you for your confidence the Van Horn Hall of Honor, and a in, and support of, your Associawinning football team —with a 7-4 tion. If you haven’t yet joined, record, the Falcons earned only their let 2012 be the year for you to second Missouri state playoff berth become a part of the growing in school history! Also, our two 2011 “Falcon Alumni Nation!” alumni Association scholarship recipients, Aysha Bashir and Lauren Jay Fisher ‘75, President Dresch, successfully completed their Dear Fellow Van Horn Falcon,
Have you paid your dues lately? Dues are due! Join up today. INSIDE THIS ISSUE: A Letter to the Editor
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Falcon Authors
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New Members
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Honorary Members
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2011 Scholarship 3 Donations Events Calendar
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From Days of Yore
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JAN 21ST BOWLING BENEFIT WELL SUPPORTED Over 150 participants of the 6th Annual WDS Educational Foundation Bowling Fundraiser enjoyed the games, prizes and fellowship resulting in nearly $5,000 raised in support of scholarships for Van Horn and North Kansas City High School college-bound seniors.
Terry Smitka ‘70, a Lifetime Association Member, and two of his business partners have formed a foundation which awards scholarships to deserving graduates of Van Horn and North Kansas City high schools (where they all attended), and (Continued
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A Letter to the Editor: Dear Editor:
was a very poignant example of these changes. It reminded me of our class (1959) when many of us were Boy, did your October 2011 Falcon Legacy bring a the first members of our families to go to college. flood of memories. Here is an e-mail response I just sent to Tom Black (a ‘59er classmate) about his reac- I think Don Reimal ’59 as Mayor has played a key tion to your recent Legacy newsletter. part in this from the City of Independence side. My dad says Reimal has been the major catalyst in the “Tom, renovation of the various western Independence The newsletter and alumni website brought tears to neighborhoods with improvement districts that you read about our school rising from the ashes of being mentioned in your earlier e-mails. Winner Road, near the ‘worst school’ in the Kansas City area to teaching the school and ‘our house’, has been improved with Socratic dialogue—among other exciting changes. It new sidewalks, curb and gutters, and new landscapwas an orphan that the Independence School district ing. My dad reports that many of the old homes have rescued. been purchased by young families with children and are being renovated. There are even neighborhood As I mentioned in previous e-mails to the ‘59ers, it associations coming together to improve their was very discouraging for me to watch Van Horn go neighborhoods. into decline over a 40-year period. This was up close and personal on my visits ‘home’ when I went down Don Reimal must be an excellent politician to be able to run on the broken down track; next to the broken to be the catalyst for these changes to down football field; next to the broken down building. long-neglected neighborhoods. Makes me proud to know him as a ‘59er and Scout troop brother. Busing killed the sense of community in the school and the neighborhoods. From the involvement of Lynn” alumni, it looks like this sense of community is resurrecting. Sounds like the KC school district was and is Editor’s Note: Lynn D. Carlisle ‘59 lived on Franklin Drive just 2 blocks south of the school. His parents contina disaster. ued to live in the same house until 2011 when his 97-year-
I thought the alumni site video of the kids saying, ‘I old dad moved to John Knox Village in Lee’s Summit. His will be the first member of my family to go to college’ brother, Dick Carlisle, graduated from Van Horn in ‘63. UPDATE: Class of 1960—50th Reunion Raffle Results - A very successful raffle was held at the 50th Reunion of the Class of 1960 with the proceeds going to Van Horn High School. $1,000 was donated to the KIDS FUND VAN HORN HIGH SCHOOL and $500 was donated to THE LEGACY FUND of Van Horn High School. Thanks
to everyone who participated by purchasing tickets for the raffle. (Larry Kruse‘60)
PEN-FEATHERS (Falcon Authors) Burnt Timbers (Boarder Warfare), by Anne Mallinson ‘66 - Available at Jackson County Historical Society (Independence Truman Courthouse) Resident Theatre (Kansas City), by Richard N. Piland ‘62 - Contact author at pilandbooks@aol.com Images of America: Sugar Creek, by Richard N. Piland ‘62 - Available on Amazon.com; Border’s Books Images of America: Independence, by Richard N. Piland ‘62 and Marietta Wilson Boenker ‘60 - Available on Amazon.com and Border’s Books Hollyhocks on the Fence by Karin Burgess McAtee ‘60 (under pen name Caryn Welles) - Available at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble Books.
New Association Members for 2011 ‘77 ‘66 ‘68 ‘83 ‘68 ‘69 ‘60 ‘72 ‘59 ‘61
Brenda (Roe) Cox Bonnie J. Dickson Barbara (Atkins) Case Carl Gardner Patricia (Walters) Martin Lorna Darlene (McInteer) Stout Jerry T. Williams Jeffrey L. Gall Don Reimal 2011 Scholarship Fund Donations: Jo Marie (Bennett) Reimal $650 —Robert N. Healy ‘60 Please don’t forget to re- $250 —Diane (Swaney) Smith ‘73 new your annual dues!
WELCOME! &
Thank you!
Honorary Members: ‘11 ‘11 ‘10 ‘11 ‘11 ‘11 ‘11 ‘11 ‘11 ‘11 ‘11 ‘11
Kasha Adams Aysha Bashir Courtney “CJ” Clark Pamela Cornielle Lauren Dresch Natasha Howard Travis Kistner Michael Locke Mariana Medina Davesha Minton Chad Nesbitt Mariana Pinedo
Association meetings are so much fun! One never knows who is going to pop in. Taken October 19, 2011, Board Members and guests gathered in the VHHS Library. (L to R) Treasurer, Lisa Hay Renshaw; Dave Renshaw; VP, Nancy Mills Ehrlich; Lisa Pierce; Secretary Glenda Baker Phillips; Activities Director Chris Corrie; Lindsay Bundschu Voitik; and President Jay Fisher. (Not shown: photographer and At Large Board Member, Marietta Wilson Boenker) (Continued from page 1)
sponsor this annual bowling fundraiser to help fund them. Last year, WDS awarded scholarships to these schools totaling $20,000 with $13,000 going to Van Horn High School and $7,000 going to North Kansas City High School. WDS intends to award at least $20,000 again in scholarships this May. WDS has also found a benefactor that has agreed to match any donations made to WDS in 2012. If you, your employer, or another organization with which you have contact would like to make a donation to WDS this year, that donation will be matched by the benefactor and allow WDS to increase either the number or amount of scholarships awarded. All donations can be made out to the WDS Educational Foundation, PO Box 16031, Shawnee, KS 66203. WDS iis a 501(C)3 organization and all donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Pictured above: JoAnn (Mika) Davis, Nita Mihelic, Denise (Welch) Masters, Diane (Wells) Kerr, Jo Ann Bushko, Roxie Anderson, Dean Andrisevic, and Janet (Herman) Franklin. Pictured on right:: Tracy Gamble, Mary Ann Wells Hall ‘71,Sharon Smitka Short ‘71, and Becky Smitka Anthony ‘73.
10 Feb - Basketball Court Warming vs St. Mary’s, VH Gym
The Van Horn High School Alumni Association
15 Feb - VHHSAA Meeting, Alumni Room, VHHS 21 Mar - VHHSAA Meeting, Alumni Room, VHHS
P. O. Box 520712
1 Apr - Scholarship application deadline
Independence, MO 64052
18 Apr - VHHSAA Meeting, Alumni Room, VHHS
Phone: 816-914-6490
13 May - Celebration of Birthday of Col. Van Horn
E-mail: ayjayeff@yahoo.com
(actually May 19th)
16 May - VHHSAA Meeting, Alumni Room, VHHS
Editor: Marietta Wilson Boenker kboenker@att.net
20 May - Van Horn High School Graduation Jun, Jul, Aug meeting locations to be announced
VHHSAA Board
7 Sep - Hall of Honor Celebration, first home football game
President
Jay Fisher ‘75
Vice President
Nancy Mills Ehrlich ‘56
19 Sep -VHHSAA Meeting, Alumni Room, VHHS
Secretary
Glenda Baker Phillips ‘‘73
Treasurer
Lisa Hay Renshaw “76
21 Sep -Van Horn Homecoming, Parade 22 Sep -Van Horn Homecoming game at Van Horn HS
At Large Director/Newsletter Editor: Marietta Wilson Boenker ‘60
17 Oct -VHHSAA Meeting, Alumni Room, VHHS 21 Nov-VHHSAA Meeting, Alumni Room, VHHS http://www.vanhornalumni.org
From Days of Yore
REMAINDER OF 2011-2012 BASKETBALL SEASON (Home Games Only)
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“Truman Road”, “Truman”, or “15 Street” is a major east/west road in Jackson County, Missouri, which runs past Van Horn High School. It serves Kansas City, MO, Independence, and eastern unincorporated Jackson County. Its western terminus is at Broadway Boulevard & I-670 in downtown Kansas City, and its eastern terminus is at the Jackson/Lafayette County line. It is named after Harry S. Truman, the 33rd U.S. President, and runs through his hometown of Independence. Truman Road in Independence was first named Blue Avenue and east of Route M291 in Independence it was called Spring Branch Road. For a few decades before it was changed to Truman Road, what was it called? Submit to: kboenker@att.net
Boys
Varsity JV
Girls
Varsity
JV
*TU 01/31 Butler (8p) (5p)
*TU 01/31 Butler
(6:30p)
*FR 02/10 St.Mary’s (8p)
*FR 02/10 St.Mary’s (6:30p) (5p)
TH 02/16 OakGrove (7p) (5:30) TU 02/14 AfricanCentEd (6:30) (5p) *FR 02/17 RenaissanceAcademy Senior Night (8p) (5p) *FR 02/17 RenaissanceAcad. (6:30) * Crossroads Conference (XCR) Games Last Issue: The Iron Indian Chief was built in the early 1960’s
by Henry Graham who ran a welding and auto-repair service station at 1435 Sterling. Son Jim Graham VH ‘59 has the sculpture at his home in Lee’s Summit, MO.