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Our Class of 57 was a relatively small one with 72 graduates. The class before us had 96 graduates and the class following ours had 102. We came from Sycamore and the surrounding farms, two groups which bonded very quickly.
We didn't need drugs to give us a "high" as we had Tony's Malt Shop for a sandwich and a malt, Florians for a Coke or Green River and the little red popcorn stand for, well, popcorn.
We had several advantages in the 50's. One was that our parents and our teachers understood their roles: Teachers taught and parents developed their children, including discipline when necessary. We didn't fear a reprimand from Miss Christian, Mr. Hauswald or even Mr. Shrout. What we did fear was our parents learning of the reprimand, and the punishment that would surely follow.
We also had the advantage of midwestern, small town values. When you shook a person's hand, you signed a contract. Cheating was wrong, period. A hard day's work provided a days wage (many in our class learned this while detasseling corn for the DeKalb Ag). A person who served in the military deserved respect and should be honored (Memorial Day was a significant holiday in the 50's). There is nothing more important than properly raising a family. And many more that I think our classmates continue to this day to respect.
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Like many high school classes, we drifted apart over the years, some going to where the jobs were and others into the military. But there was a core of graduates that continued to live and work in Sycamore and they were a constant reminder of where our roots were.
While this site is by and for the Class of 57, we welcome guests to the site and ask that you leave your thoughts or comments in the "contact us" section.
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