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Marion Foster (Dimond)
ALTON STRONG is a comment Moine McGibany has been posting lately as I've been sharing pics on Facebook about our town and classmates before our 60th reunion. I'm not a poet like Moine, but I've been jotting down random thoughts about what a part of Alton we are, and what a part of us Alton is. Feel free to add your thoughts to my notes, and maybe we'll get lucky and get another poem from Moine. My notes:
AHS Class of ’65--Alton Strong
*Homer Adams Parkway (daughter Vicky in our class).
*Gordon Moore Park (daughter Kaela a year ahead of us).
*Killion Park named after Cheryl’s dad.
*Walmart in Godfrey was David Joehl’s farm.
*James Wigger Field old stadium renamed for our track coach who won State in 63 & 64.
*Cliff Davenport Theater at middle school named after our drama teacher.
*Owens-Ill. Glass Co (Glass Works) founded by Gladys Levis’ family.
*Norman Brothers (husband of Barb Maple) blew up bluffs and donated rock to build river road in 1940s, along with Levis family. Piasa Bird painted at Norman’s Landing for many years.
Melting pot of races, social status, religions, and ethnicity—rich, poor, black, white, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Greek, British war brides…
Parents part of Greatest Generation who grew up during the Depression, and came of age fighting in World War II.
Parents grew up with Robert Wadlow (1918-1940), tallest man who ever lived.
Parents worked at booming factories like the Glass Works, Boxboard, Laclede Steel & ….
Parents business owners: Rain & Rain grocers, Drake tires, Block’s (Susie ’66 & Diane ’64?), Alton Telegraph (Mary Cousley ’64), Logan’s Dairy (Paula ’66 married David Joehl)
Parents doctors & dentists: Ward, Katz, Bottom, Bassford….
Parents lawyers: Bernard, Wiseman….
Parents teachers & principals: Casper, Rallo, Naugle McClain….
Our class baby boomers in prosperous shadow of WWII. But as we graduated, the military draft and Vietnam War took its toll. More than 1/3 of us served in the military. 7 died in Vietnam, and many others were scarred by Agent Orange and PTSD.
Marion Dimond
Moine wrote this poem a few years ago about growing up in Alton:Thoughts on Growing Up In Alton
by Moine McGibany
Sometimes she ain't pretty
sitting there on the bluffs of the muddy Mississippi
She was an All-America pretty
always home, always our city
We were Redbirds and Explorers
and scared by ghostly stories
We knew Lewis and Clark and winters quite stark
There was the Underground Railroad and Elijah P.
and the Piasa Bird that we couldn't wait to see
We knew Lincoln and Douglas and the Illini
as we grew up under the Piasa sky
We grew up with the Tallest man ever
and the world's greatest trumpeter
We came from Pie-town and Milton and Godfrey
and swam in an endless Blue Pool for free
We were surrounded by Civil War history
with a Confederate prison and cemetery
We rocked that ARC
and hunted crawdads in that Rock park
So many have left
So many have stayed
So many gone
So many brave
It's where we started
and where we were made
We met our first loves and found our forever loves
We loved nature, had culture and were misfits
It's been 50 years, but it's not over yet
Our lives will continue to change
but our memories of old friends
and Old Alton will always remain
--Moine
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