REUNION VIDEO LOOP (40 minute version) - A shortened version of the video displayed on the big screen at the Grand Golden Reunion appears below, and is also at this YouTube page:  https://youtu.be/gRff_LlS9uo   You might want to click on the "full screen" icon to fill your screen.  Each slide lasts about 10 seconds (the one shown at the event used 15 second slides).  Enjoy!

REMEMBER THE HOTTEST ALBUM of 1967?  Jim Labelle remembers, and puts his take on what is probably the single best known and loved piece of all classic album cover art.  Do you recognize anyone?  (Kudos, Jim!)AN HYSTERIC EVENT! - April 15, 1967 - MUMA International second live broadcast on Dick Purtan's WKNR show, as grippingly reported in The Highlander.  And a real period piece - Dave Clark interviews in Detroit.  And aren't the old ads fun?

MOCK ELECTIONS, 1967 - Who did our classmates deem Class Chatterer, Best Dressed, or Most Gullible?  For the the answers to these pressing quesions (and many more), be sure to peruse this historic document - FIELD DAY SONG TEXTS!  Do you remember our mighty class songs and cheers?  Here are all the words, so that you can relive the excitement, and perhaps with a bit of review, amaze all of your friends at the Grand Reunion with your prodigious memory!  (Thanks to Patti Smith Bostwick for putting these together).

 

GRAND DISCOVERY! The Ur-text of the great Seaholm epic "The MUMA Manifesto" has just been uncovered in San Antonio, by none other than Great and Fearless Leader and Archeologist-in-Chief HENRY PERKINS!  Born in the back of Mrs. Kinnison's junior-year English class, and originally recorded for all to see, scrawled on the blackboards in the gigantic study hall at Seaholm (who remembers that?), it was composed mainly by the ancient and timeless bard MICHAEL HOLZWARTH, with a verse or two by Henry. Preserved for posterity on cuneiform tablets, it appears here in its entirety, in faithful translation. Come relive the breathtaking saga of such inimitable figures as the fearsome three-toed gaziv and the quixotic Charley the Jerk. Enlightenment awaits! MUMA lives!  Refer to the MUMA handshake video (below) to prepare for the GRAND HALF-CENTURY REUNION!COMMENCEMENT, 1967! - Do you remember that we sat boy-girl-boy-girl, with boys wearing maroon caps, gowns and tassels, and girls white?

SWINGOUT, 1967 - It appears that this is some kind of choir made up of our classmates, dressed up in garb from several nations, accompanied by the band, with Mr. Kutscher directing. Does anyone remember what was being sung?  Susan Bauer remembers singing "What the World Needs Now is Love" at Swingout, and I think that this photo might just be of that piece, given the "world-oriented" dress.

SWINGOUT, 1967 - A MUMA-themed spoof of the National Honors Society induction, with speakers on the four pillars of MUMA: (we forgot the first one), clean living, naïveness, and perfection. Speakers from left appear to be Paul Cahill, Mike Holzwarth, Henry Perkins; I'm (George Riordan) at the podium, speaking on naïveness (an invented word, if ever there was one), and I think that's Jeff McLean on my left. Mr. Lemle, hand on hip, far right, seems to be enjoying the elaborate joke. There was even a choir that performed the 'Enigima tissimus' from the 'MUMA Mass in G' ("Ponder no more the enigmas of life..."). The only person that appeared to embody the four points was none other than Santa Claus, who, when summoned, strode down the aisle, in full holiday dress, bells a-jingling (in June!), and he was duly installed as a full member. Eight years later, Buckminster Fuller would declare "Dare to be naïve!" (1975). Apparently, he discovered the light of MUMA.

 

"Washington Trip" video - On Good Friday, 1967, a large band of us, with compatriots from Groves, left the Seaholm parking lot in motor coaches, headed to Williamsburg, Washington, DC, and New York, on our "trip-of-a-lifetime" senior trip.   Here is a video made up of photos taken by Jeane Tipton Houston and me, along with a timeline.  (The itinerary is further below.)  We hope that you enjoy this bit of time travel.  [You can also access this video directly in YouTube, at https://youtu.be/Y_2WBcZhCmo

Senior Trip - Do you remember the trip to Washington and New York, undertaken with our fellow Groves class?  Here is the itinerary of those happy memories from 50 years ago.

Seaholm '67 - Memories video 4 - Historical photos supplied by Craig Smith and pictures from The Piper are added to an audio track of the Seaholm Band performing Cesar Franck's "Pièce Héroïque" at the District Festival on Feb. 25, 1967, under the direction of Mr. Robert Kutscher - exactly 50 years ago.  To re-live the memories, click on the link below, or for higher-resolution images, go to YouTube page  https://youtu.be/Uo7aOUGWApw .  Click on the "Full screen" icon in the lower right. 

1967 Seaholm Band performance of Sousa's "King Cotton" at district festival (click below) - ARCHIVAL DISCOVERY: a couple of weeks ago I found a recording of the Seaholm Band, performing three pieces at the District Festival on Feb. 25, 1967. In honor of the 50th anniversary of the occasion, I've thrown together the following rough cut video (not, by any means, a finished product!), with a good-quality soundtrack of the Band performing "King Cotton" by John Philip Sousa, under the direction of Mr. Robert W. Kutscher. In a bit, I'll also put up another video, with a perofmance of "Pièce héroïque" by César Franck. As I recall, the Band received "straight 1's" that year, the highest possible ranking. This rough cut has mostly photos of the band and orchestra, but with several sports and other photos thrown in to spice things up a bit. There may even be one or two "updates" in there, as well. Enjoy.    

Seaholm ' 67 - Memories, Video 2 (click below), featuring an amusing photo montage by Jim Labelle (that will look familiar, but with a few imbedded surprises), audio of the Seaholm Band performing excerpts from the Suite in E-flat by Gustav Holst (from spring 1965, our sophomore year), and of course, photos from the '67 Piper.  Look for a different sound track at the reunion in September!  (IDEA:  You might want to click on the "full frame" icon in the lower right hand corner of the video, to get the full effect.)Seaholm ' 67 - Memories, Video 1 (click below), featuring photos from 'The Piper', with audio of the Seaholm Band performing Howard Hanson's "March Carillon" (spring 1965, our sophomore year).

Birmingham High School in 1956, designed by Swanson Associates. The building opened in 1951, and it appears that five years later the "E" wing (where we took math classes) and the natatorium (swimming pool) had yet to be constructed. The school's name was changed to Seaholm, around the time Groves High School was constructed in 1959.  Landscaping and athletic fields appear to be in nascent stages and the housing developments across Cranbrook Road (left) weren't constructed yet.  The building certainly looks different today.

FUNSAPOPPIN MOVIE (click on link) - Remember the annual fall variety show "Funsapoppin'"?  Here are some scenes from our senior year, accompanied by the Seaholm Band of our sophomore year, featuring selections from My Fair Lady.

FALL SPORTS AND SPIRIT MOVIE (click on link) - Scenes from fall 1966 of our athletic teams and clubs, marching band, and spirit groups, with photos from The Piper.

MUMA HANDSHAKE Video  (click below) - "Ponder no more the enigmas of life" - Here is your indispensible, official step-by-step video guide to help you brush up on the finer points, so that you are ready for the reunion.  Enlightenment can be yours!