My memory isn’t what it use to be. Yet I have very vivid specific memories. I remember my very first day of kindergarten at Riverside Elementary. I recall sitting next to Delia Pulliam. She had her pony tail on the side of her head, which I thought was very cool. She was my very best friend all through elementary.
I remember the first day of middle school and how overwhelmed I was. There were more kids and we had to change classes. I met Gerda Cole that day. I couldn’t tell you what class. But we sat together at lunch and over the years became best friends. To this day I consider her one of my very best friends.
Then there came the first day of high school. I felt grown up. We walked to Burger King for lunch. Sometimes we smoked cigarettes. We got our driver’s license. We danced. We drank. We broke a few minor laws. We began to learn who we were. We began to think about or futures. We graduated and all went our separate ways.
Over the years, decisions were made, some mistakes, that affected my life to this day. We moved away. We went to college. We got jobs. We go married, and some then divorced. We had children and then some had grandchildren. We went to reunions, we joined Facebook, we exchanged emails, we reconnected. My network of Carter Riverside alumni expanded. I was pleased.
I started to notice something in the last year. People I know that graduated from different schools don’t seem to have alumni groups on Facebook. They don’t commemorate their lost classmates with a “Gone but not forgotten” page or a “Silver Taps” page on an alumni website. They just do not seem to have the bond that those of us who grew up in the Riverside area of Fort Worth and graduated from Carter Riverside High School. Well, maybe they’re out there, but the people I’ve come across don’t seem to be involved at all. When I say I’m having lunch with an old high school friend or that a group of us are getting together for a Saturday lunch, they look at me cross eyed!
These sites and pages don’t magically maintain themselves. There are a group of dedicated people who work to maintain these sites. They don’t get paid. They get no special attention. They do all of these things because of their love for this small area of Fort Worth. Riverside.
Like most schools, homecoming is a special time. While I didn’t participate this year, I enjoy hearing about it. What struck me most was that at this year’s homecoming events it was brought to the alumna’s attention that there were certain things that were needed, but the school district didn’t have money for them. Rather than sitting around talking about how wrong it was for the district to allow things to deteriorate to such a state, a group was formed. Click to like Beautify CHS on Facebook and become involved.
This group was formed, meetings were held, and decisions were made. With a variety of people with different backgrounds a logical and well thought out plan was put into place. One item of business (if I remember correctly) was obtaining a 501(c) designation as a charitable organization. Membership dues were set to cover the cost of maintaining a post office box, postage, stationary, and miscellaneous other things.
Meetings are open to anyone. All suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. The first project is to replace the stage curtains that have been in place since 1989. Click to see condition of the curtains. I have no doubt that these curtains will be replaced in the near future.
Like a lot of others, I’ve moved away. My life is busy. I have a long commute to work. So although I may not be able to be directly involved, I can still help by way of a donation. These different groups of people who work quietly in the background inspire me. Different ones may have their differences, but in the long run we all want the same thing. We want the school that helped make us who we are to excel in the future. We want the generations coming up to look around them and be proud of where they come from.
If you graduated from Carter Riverside, here a few links to help you get involved. If you didn’t graduate from Carter, I encourage you to start looking at where you came from, see if you can get involved.
http://carter-riverside-alumni.org/
Carter Riverside HS Ex Students Association Facebook Page
The Beautify CHS Facebook Page
The Carter Riverside Alumni Facebook Page
The Riverside Middle School Page
The CHS – Gone but Not Forgotten Classmates & Faculty
and just for us ladies The Carter Girls Club