MASSIVE RO-HAWK REUNION

The Herald-Zeitung
Ro-Hawks reunion held in New Braunfels
By Mark Koopmans

The Herald-Zeitung
Published September 7, 2008

NEW BRAUNFELS — About 170 former graduates of Randolph Air Force Base High School — the Ro-Hawks — swooped into town for a special “Come Home to Texas” reunion.The weekend event was in part, hosted by New Braunfels residents, Jeff Lindley (class of ‘66) and his wife, Marty who arranged a Texas-style barbecue for old friends who had traveled from as far away as the Virgin Islands to attend. However, Jeff Lindley said that what started as a planned reunion for about 50 or 60 people quickly turned into a mass reunion for the classes of 1963 through 1969 — and even one person from the class of 1970. And for some who met at the reunion’s first event — the Ro-Hawk football game Friday evening — it was the first time they had seen old schoolmates in more than four decades. “We’re a bunch of guys — and gals — all of us were military brats, but we had the pleasure of going to the same, small high school,” Lindley said, as he joined several dozen Ro-Hawk alumni for an informal golf tournament at the Landa Park Golf Course Saturday morning. “In the past, we’ve tried to organize our reunions every five years or so, but for whatever reason, this is the first big reunion in the last 10 to 15 years,” he said. “Starting with the football game last night — which we won — and finishing with a brunch on Sunday, we’ve got a lot going on, and it’s taken about a year to get everything organized.”

Another former student, Gloria Campbell Gallagher, class of '65, took on much of the challenge of organizing the three-day event, and even created an online blog to keep the other Ro-Hawks up to date. “That’s how I heard about it — from the blog,” said Jim Ramsey, class of ‘68, and director of sales for Sherwin Williams in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. “This is my first reunion, and it’s been great catching up with some of the guys. I remember their names, I just gotta figure out if I can recognize the faces.” As military sons and daughters of the Greatest Generation, many went on to follow in their parent’s footsteps, including one who remains on active duty. “Unfortunately, he can’t be here today, but Whizzy Broome is the current Chaplain of the Pentagon,” Lindley said. “Whizzy was notorious in his day, as were many of us, but he’s only one of many, many graduates who went on to have successful careers as attorneys, police officers and doctors, including Dr. Gary Bird, here in New Braunfels.”

Helping with the controlled chaos during a mini-reunion of sorts at the golf course was Tom Madsen of Austin.“This is the chance to get a bunch of over 60-year-olds together, so we can have a good time and see if we still can recognize each other,” Madsen said. “Playing golf is an easy way for us to do that. Ask the guy over there in the middle of all the golf carts, he’s just a kid.”The “kid” in question was 56-year-old Terry Fox, also of Austin, who said it was “fun catching up with a bunch of military kids who were all spread out all over the world.” “It seems like this might be the last time that so many of us will be able to get together and enjoy each other’s company,” Fox said. “I’m definitely planning on attending the next reunion if I’m still alive, but if it takes another 40 years, I don’t know.” Jeff Lindley, who was keeping an eye out for “wobblers” — “if they’re old and wobbling into the club house, I know they’re one of us” — also was putting the finishing touches to an informal speech he wrote for the barbecue party. “Apart from the usual stuff, I plan to bring to everyone’s attention the something that is missing from many of the guys,” he said. “Hair.”

Mark Koopmans can be reached at mkoopmans(at)herald-zeitung.com
Copyright © 2008 The Herald-Zeitung