My Lamar Story

Although I grew up in Eagle Rock, California, I managed  to find my way to Lamar, Colorado, to go to college.  It was to become a part of my life that I treasure.  No so much for the college, but for the friendships I made with people who continue to be my dearest friends.  

We all came to Lamar for different reasons, from different places.  We came from all over Colorado, from Kansas, California, Nebraska, Oregon, Washington, Texas, Hawaii, Maine, Oklahoma, and even as far away as American Samoa.  Yet, when we arrived in Lamar, it was like we had known each other all our lives.  Our differences were of interest, but didn’t set anyone apart.  Sometimes they gave us great glee.  Like the night one young man from the East Coast went to dinner at the Mexican Restaurant with us for his first taste of Mexican food.  When his plate arrived, he took one look at the rolled up flour tortilla and carefully placed it to the left of his plate.  When he was finished eating his dinner, he unrolled the tortilla and used it as if it were a napkin.  Poor guy!

At the time, Lamar seemed pretty small to those of us from large cities.  Upon reflection, that is what gave us our greatest gift.  There had been a big flood the Spring of ’65, and it wiped out a lot of what would have entertained us…things like the drive-in theatre.  Without much to amuse us, we entertained ourselves, and it allowed us to get to know each other in a way that would not have been possible in a big school in a big metropolis.  It allowed those of us with just a little bit of talent to participate and develop that talent, and gain a sense of fulfillment that would not have been possible in a larger college.  If you wanted to participate, you were welcomed and a place was found for you to make a meaningful contribution.  

We were fortunate to also have great talents as part of our group.  We probably took them for granted at the time and didn’t realize how far they would travel and how much they would accomplish after they left Lamar. 

We had a big reunion in Denver in 1997.  We had a wonderful time catching up with dear friends, some of whom we hadn't seen in over 30 years.

A representative from Lamar College came to Denver and asked us for help to build a Fine Arts Center at the college.  Well, none of us had become rich, so we couldn't see much of a way to help.  

Well, there was one thing we could do.  We could put on a show!  The college could use it as a showcase to remind the citizens of Lamar what we used to do back then.  To show them what is possible when a group of  people get together with a common goal.  We also wanted to have a chance, one more time, to do what Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland used to do in their movies:  Put on a Show.  

We were excited about taking the audience back to the mid-‘60s and let them relive just a taste of the plays and the musicals, the chamber singers, the folk groups, and what we were then.  We also wanted to give them a glimpse of where our journey has taken us and what we have accomplished with what we took with us from Lamar.

To parody the words of Bette Davis, “Fasten your seat belts, it was going to be quite a night!”

In 1999, representatives met with the President of the College and the man in charge of marketing/public relations for the college. They were as excited about the show as we were.  We planned, we called classmates and got a tremendous response.  There was a lot of excitement going on when in late Spring of 2000 we received word that the college had a new president who was not interested in us or our show.  It all fell through, including the big reunion scheduled for that Summer.

The good news is, we managed to turn the lemons they handed us into lemonade.  We are having a big reunion this Summer in Winter Park, and are going to put on our own show for our friends and families. 

Maybe the old saying is right -- you can't go home again.  So, we're not going "home" to Lamar, we're going into the Rockies instead!