50th Reunion Photos thanks to Brent Wynn:

We wanted to have Pat view the blog before we published it, so we will publish now that she is back and says:

Verl,

I have been out of town and just returned to my email. I LOVE this blog and I hope I can figure out how to use it. Of course, I have many pictures, but don't wait for me....I am not sure how all of this works.I will be taking some of Larry's ashes to Ontario on August 31 and we will be putting them with his parents and brother on Sept. 1. I miss him more than I can express....he was my soulmate...but we are OK. Thanks so much for taking this project on....more later, I am headed for bed.

Pat

She then adds: Enjoy! I have no idea who put this together, but it's wonderful!!


Long ago and far away, in a land that time forgot,
Before the days of Dylan, or the dawn of Camelot.

There lived a race of innocents, and they were you and me,
[ To us a high venture was to climb a big oak tree.]

For Ike was in the White House in that land where we were born,
Where navels were for oranges, and Peyton Place was porn.

We learned to gut a muffler, we washed our hair at dawn,
We spread our crinolines to dry in circles on the lawn.

We longed for love and romance, and waited for our Prince,
And Eddie Fisher married Liz, and no one's seen him since.

We danced to 'Little Darlin,' and sang to 'Stagger Lee'
And cried for Buddy Holly in the Land That Made Me, Me.

Only girls wore earrings then, and 3 was one too many,
And only boys wore flat-top cuts, except for Jean McKinney.

And only in our wildest dreams did we expect to see
A boy named George with Lipstick, in the Land That Made Me, Me.

We fell for Frankie Avalon, Annette was oh, so nice,
And when they made a movie, they never made it twice.

We didn't have a Star Trek Five, or Psycho Two and Three,
Or Rocky-Rambo Twenty in the Land That Made Me, Me.

Miss Kitty had a heart of gold, and Chester had a limp,
And Reagan was a Democrat whose co-star was a chimp.

We had a Mr. Wizard, but not a Mr. T,
And Oprah couldn't talk yet, in the Land That Made Me, Me.

We had our share of heroes, we never thought they'd go,
At least not Bobby Darin, or Marilyn Monroe.

For youth was still eternal, and life was yet to be,
And Elvis was forever in the Land That Made Me, Me.

We'd never seen the rock band that was Grateful to be Dead,
And Airplanes weren't named Jefferson , and Zeppelins were not Led.

And Beatles lived in gardens then, and Monkees lived in trees,
Madonna was Mary in the Land That Made Me, Me.

We'd never heard of microwaves, or telephones in cars,
And babies might be bottle-fed, but they were not grown in jars.

And pumping iron got wrinkles out, and 'gay' meant fancy-free,
And dorms were never co-ed in the Land That Made Me, Me.

We hadn't seen enough of jets to talk about the lag,
And microchips were what was left at the bottom of the bag.

And hardware was a box of nails, and bytes came from a flea,
And rocket ships were fiction in the Land That Made Me, Me.

Buicks came with portholes, and side shows came with freaks,
And bathing suits came big enough to cover both your cheeks.

And Coke came just in bottles, and skirts below the knee,
And Castro came to power near the Land That Made Me, Me.

We had no Crest with Fluoride, we had no Hill Street Blues,
[Who now would ever think that we once wore those blue suede shoes.]

We had no patterned pantyhose or Lipton herbal tea
Or prime-time ads for those dysfunctions in the Land That Made Me, Me.

There were no golden arches, no Perrier to chill,
And fish were not called Wanda , and cats were not called Bill.

And middle-aged was 35 and old was forty-three,
And ancient were our parents in the Land That Made Me, Me.

But all things have a season, or so we've heard them say,
And now instead of Maybelline we swear by Retin-A.

They send us invitations to join AARP,
We've come a long way, baby, from the Land That Made Me, Me.

So now we face a brave new world in slightly larger jeans,
And wonder why they're using smaller print in magazines.

And we tell our children's children of the way it used to be,
Long ago and far away in the Land That Made Me, Me.


AND NOW: For those of you too young to remember Bob Hope, ask your Grandparents!!! And thanks for the memories............

Photos of OHS Classmates at Larry's Celebration

Here is the promised poem that I wrote about Larry and read at his celebration.

An Uncommon Bear

Bears are typically solitary,
As recent studies have shown.
Whether their diet is salmon or berry
They usually go it alone.

We had a bear at OHS
In the class of ’56,
An uncommon bear we must confess
Because he preferred to mix.

He was a fun and outgoing bear
And he made a lot of friends
For a little cub who grew up where
The Malheur River ends.

Like most bears, he could be quite tough
If the occasion would require.
Foes soon would know they’d had enough
If they ever faced his ire.

Now this bear was a tiger too;
Just how, I will report:
An Ontario Tiger, it is true,
And he played in every sport.

Then after the games, the bear would mope
With his buddies to the dance.
The girls would all just stare and hope
That they would have their chance.

Then graduating in due course
He had a stroke of luck:
He finished his tour in the Air Force
Then bear became a duck.

A fighting duck he would point out
At the U of Oregon
Played football, as fans would shout,
Especially if they’d won.

Now, there’s much more that we could say
About his career and life
But the highlight was upon that day
That Pat became his wife.

Their family of which they can be proud
Should now be proud of him.
How he’s reached out to our old crowd
Whose memories are growing dim.

He has worked to search this country o’re
For classmates far and wide,
So dedicated at this chore
There was no place we could hide.

As he has put us back in touch
With such tender, loving care,
Was Bear, uncommon? Yes, so much,
He became a Teddy Bear.

Tiger Tracks - OHS '56

Dear Tigers of "56,

We promised to create a blog in honor of our classmate, the late Larry Horyna, and his tremendous interest and effort in bringing the Ontario High School class of 1956 together. The hope is that we will be able to connect with most if not all of our OHS '56 classmates. This can be done if each will spread the word of this blog's existence and notify whose email is not currently known. Most will have email, but if not, and we can copy and send printed copies of the blog to their last know addresses. The advantage of a blog is that everyone who wishes can add to it and hopefully it will be an ongoing vibrant vehicle to keep in touch and to share with each other our activities and thoughts.





As most of you know, Larry passed away on April 7, 2009. Larry and Pat were in Goodyear, AZ since the first of January. While living for a few months for the winter in AZ., Larry enjoyed life to the fullest and enjoying each sunny day. He was golfing, swimming, tanning, meeting friends, sharing memories with many visitors, classmates and entertaining family members. He suffered a massive heart attach on April 7 and did not respond to the medical treatment. It has come as a great shock to all of us.

Thanks to Sue Hills Mannion and Shari Smith Schoenleber for helping get out the word of Larry's passing. They contacted me, I assume because I live just over the mountain from Park City where Larry and Pat have had their home.

Verl Doman's review of Larry's celebration:

Dear OHS '56,We just got home from Larry Horyna's Celebration service and his wake. The setting for the service was a beautiful Catholic chapel out in the country north of Park City where the 2002 Winter Olympic were held. It was rainy, but very green and beautiful. There were somewhere between 200 and 300 present. He was obviously very well known and liked. Pat seemed to be in good spirits and also was very grateful for all of the love and support she has received from the class of '56.Classmates present were: Julian Laca and his wife Eileen, Stan and Jane Hunt Olsen, Duane and Kay Frahm Skeen, Brent Wynn and his wife Gaye, Ray Dickerson, Sue Hathaway, Ken Osborn, Verl Doman and his wife Sue. They all stood and were recognized as his classmates.

The speakers were all very entertaining as they related their times with Larry. It was obvious that their experiences with him was not too different from the memories that we had and that were expressed in some of comments emailed to me. Those memories, by the way, are still welcome.The first three speakers were former team mates from the University of Oregon, Rich Schwab, Doug Post and Dave Wilcox (from Vale whose older brother played against us in high school). Two of them had been his room mates and have been close friends ever since. The have travelled, golfed, vacationed and generally hung out together ever since their college days. Actually a few of them were with him these last weeks in Arizona. They clearly had many wonderful times together. My thoughts led to wonder how he ever had the time nor felt the need to engage all of us these last many years, with these kind of friends. The funny part was that Larry having spent 4 years in the Air Force, was older that these and he took full advantage as he became the obvious leader in their apartment. He organized the meals, did the cooking and passed out assignments to the younger roommates.

The other U of O speakers talked of their golfing and how Larry manipulated the game in his funny way. One was sure Larry was up there helping design a course with 18 holes each with a slight dogleg to the right to accommodate his mild slice. Each hole, he was sure, would be 150 yards in consideration of the length of Larry's shots.Other speakers were, Phil Sheller, Gene Hamble, Vic Baldwin and Larry and Pat's two sons, Tim and Matt.

I cannot remember which of the speakers worked with Larry from the Utah Department of Education, but he was most complimentary of Larry's professionalism as an educator. He talked of how he was able to draw others around him to accomplish worthwhile many worthwhile things. It was clear that Larry had made the very best of his personality and talents in his career.

As I was asked to represent our class maybe it is fitting that I give you a summary of what I said. I told of Larry's rather challenging childhood given the accidental hunting death of his father as a 9 year old, that Larry was with him at the time and that he was also with the Theyer boy when he drowned in the river within just a year or two of his father's accident. I told of how we all were witnesses of Larry growing up as a strong and fun person, in spite of these early devastating experiences. I told of Sue Hathaway's recollection of Larry and Jr. Evans with t-shirts rolled up at the sleeves, Levies and motorcycle boots looking like James Dean on motorcycles. I Reiterate Julian Laca's memory of coming out to basketball practice for the firs time and Larry chose him to play catch with the medicine ball and though Larry had made that exercise very tough in him, he always encouraged him. I quoted Larry Lynch's account of the article in the Argus Observer mentioning how much watermelon Larry could eat, seeds and all. I mentioned Roland Whitesell's recounting that when he was a bullied sophomore, Larry and Jr. found out about it, somehow took care of the bully and Roland was never bothered again. I quoted Shari Smith Scheonleber's as she described Larry and his buddies strolling into the after game dances and the girls all noticed and hoped they would be asked to dance. Shari hoped Larry would ask her to dance, as he was a good dancer and fun to be around. I told them that Larry was nicknamed Bear and that as Pat had asked to send our memories for her grandchildren, I had decided to put mine to verse. I read the attached poem, An Uncommon Bear. I closed by mentioning my personal belief that Larry is in a place of peace and rest and that he will be resurrected because of the the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that to me it was symbolic that he passed away near Easter when we celebrate the morning of that first resurrection. I was honored to represent you there and hope it was done as you would have done it.

Larry and Pat's sons, Tim and Matt spoke with some emotion about Larry's devotion as a Father. Tim describe many wonderful qualities of his father.Nice prayers were given by the Pastor, Rev. Robert Robert J. Bussen, and "Football at Night" , a prayer was read by John Carricaburu. I was a beautiful service and I am sure all present were uplifted and left with even greater admiration for our friend, Larry.

A reception or wake followed the service at the Elks Lodge. Good food and drink was provided and it seemed that all that were at the service and maybe more were present at the reception.

Sue Hathaway reported that there is nearly $400 in a little treasury that grew from those who sent financial support for the Tiger Tracks. Shari Smith Schoenleber, Ken Osborn and Sue Hathaway are working on talking to the OHS football coach and the principle to see if the something needed that could be purchased and identified in memory of Larry. We will let you know what will be suggested. We will be forming a Internet blog which will be intended to carry on the work of Larry in publishing the Tiger Tracks. Class members will be able to contribute pictures and comments at any time they wish and class members will be able to check in to see the latest as they wish. This is moving this old generation into the 21st century of communications. There are those who will not be able to access this and at their request, a printing of the latest on the blog can be printed and mailed periodically. We will see how this will work out. We are open for suggestions and help on this. Pat wants to especially thank you all. We hope we can work together to somehow continue the work Larry has initiated for us. Verl





The following are some of the classmates responses to Larry's passing:

Brent Wynn: We really enjoyed Pat & Larry; we played golf and skied with them. I worked with Larry at the ski resort until last year - his knees were getting sore. We were shocked and feel very badly for not getting together with them last weekend while we were in Arizona.Pat & Larry were loved by everyone - more so as they got older they acquired more and more friends.
















Shari Smith Schoenleber: It's very sad and I will miss hearing from him from time to time as he either passed through Bend or I got a phone call from out of the blue! Maybe Kay Skeen or Ken Osborn could find out from OHS if a scholarship in Larry's name or something else appropriate would be a fund we could all contribute to. Shari

From Shari to Larry's grandkids: Your grand dad Larry was always one of the cool guys when we were in high school. He and his buddies would come into the school cafeteria where we held our "after game dances" and all the girls could hardly wait for them to come and ask us to dance. Your grand dad was always the one that I wanted to come and ask me to dance! Most of the time he asked someone else!
After high school we lost touch with each other for several years but at our first class reunion in 1966 we got reacquainted and stayed in touch from then on. Whenever he was in Oregon and close to Bend, where I live, he'd call or drop by for a visit. He was still a cool guy and had become such a great person that everyone enjoyed being around. I'm sure you have many great memories of your own about him.

Tyrus Hamada: I AM SADDENED WITH THE PASSING OF LARRY AND WE WILL ALL MISS HIM-ESPECIALLY THE CLASS OF '56. HE HAS DONE A LOT FOR US TO KEEP THE CLASS TOGETHER AND, IN MY OPINION, EVERY EFFORT SHOULD BE MADE TO CONTINUE HIS WORK ESPECIALLY WITH THE "TIGER TRACKS". SOMEHOW WE SHOULD CONTINUE HIS WORK IN MAINTAINING AND DISTRIBUTING THE "TIGER TRACKS". LIKE LARRY THE PERSON CONTINUING HIS WORK SHOULD BE LIKE LARRY IN CONTINUOUS CONTACT WITH MEMBERS OF OUR CLASS. PROBABLY A GOOD STARTING POINT WOULD BE THE SERVICE FOR LARRY AT THE END OF THIS MONTH. I KNOW IT IS A TOUGH JOB TO CONTINUE IN HIS FOOT STEPS.

Sally Christiansen Dickerson: I'm grateful, along with others of the class of '56, to Larry his efforts to bring us together with our classmates and friends. The thing that impressed me most was that he was very inclusive and made everyone feel valued and a part of the group. Our reunions were a very special time for all of us. He will be missed.

Pat Jacobs Mc Crary - Sorry to hear of Larry's passing but in this stage in our lives these happenings are becoming more common as we don't live for ever.. that doesn't make it any easier....Losing a spouses it a hard thing to go through as I have been there and I am still feeling the loss even four years later...I too appreciate all he did to keep us updated and enjoy reading the news letters he put together... give my regards to Pat and her family and let them know that families can be together for ever love Pat [Jacobs] Mc Crary

Susie Huey Grant - Larry admitted how afraid he was of my father when he delivered newspapers to our house because, according to Larry, "Everyone knew Huey was the richest man in town." The wealthy and privileged life of Larry's imagination was much nicer than peeling potatoes at the back of the restaurant at age 7, washing dishes on busy Saturday nights at age 11 and waiting on tables at age 15.

In the journey from youthful misperceptions to our seventh decade, I know this reality about Larry. He worked tirelessly and with dogged dedication in keeping the Ontario High School Class of 1956 connected and in touch. He was one of the guiding forces and the socializing glue behind our successful class reunions. His smiles, laughter and gregarious nature will not be forgotten.

Having heard about Larry's love of golf, he'll likely find a way to take his favorite clubs so he can play in the intense heat or the angelic atmosphere of his destination.

As Sophocles once said, "Sometimes you have to wait until the evening to see how glorious the day has been." Good evening, Larry, and Rest in Peace. Susie Huey Grant


Loren Cox - "Larry and I were not close friends at OHS--I was a farm kid, he a town guy. I milked cows, he delivered papers. He was bigger, tougher and faster than I, which is why after my sophomore year I played band, basketball and tennis instead of giving flesh and blood voluntarily in football (especially in the Vale games). The gap in my front teeth was wider than his, but OHS gave no letter for that. After OHS graduation through college, grad school, Peace Corps, Congressional staff, MIT, Columbia U I lost touch with almost all classmates, including Larry. But somehow about 1986 or so his tireless outreach to OHS classmates found me in NYC, and we were in frequent touch thereafter--extending beyond the 2 reunions I attended. Despite choosing a Payette beauty named Pat (now a full-fledged OHS '56 member), his persistent devotion to Ontario and our class was amazing. His strength of purpose renewed my own sense of place and people from those clumsy, pimply, exploring and frequently exciting days. Americans are a rootless people, constantly moving and reinventing some or large parts of their lives. Larry helped us remember where we come from, those who helped shape who we are, and how to celebrate a unique place and time in our lives. We have been blessed to have his life force at work to reconnect us, and he surely would want us to continue the celebration he led so devotedly. So until our next reunion, let us honor Larry's example of how to stay connected by continuing to do so--until we meet again."Hope this is OK.Loren

Larry Hull: My memories of Larry are different than most as we rode the bus together for many years. I do recall he was a person of action and with good people skills and was easy and enjoyable to be around him. As we got older I had less contact with him but during those young years it was fun to know him.

Larry Lynch: My tribute to Larry Horyna who died this fourth month of 2009: The last time I talked to Larry Horyna he told me how proud he was of his football efforts on the University of Oregon team. I was surprised because I hadn’t followed his career then. When I ran into him in the library when we were both students there, he starting out on a football scholarship after the Army and I about to finish up my senior year, he said he was focusing on his school work. Football was just a way to a degree. He must have changed his view over the years while I was off trying to get started as a newspaper reporter. Anyway, I do know that he carved out an exceptional career as an educator in Oregon, spending some of his huge energy on helping youngsters who were coming from tough backgrounds – maybe because he worked his way up in life the hard way though he never talked about that, at least to me.

My father, Don Lynch, always carried fond memories of Larry. In my dad’s later years, when we talked about the Ontario newspaper and his years there, he frequently mentioned how much he was impressed by Hoyna’s strength and leadership as a young man. (Frankly, playing across from him as a second string center on the football team, I was often impressed by his strength but I can’t say I liked it.)

Anyway, I sometimes like to look back on the following editorial my father crafted after our sad 9-8 loss to Vale in our senior football year in high school. Larry was a bulwark of that team and probably felt the loss as hard as anyone, though I know over his life he maintained friendships with many of the Vale players who whipped our team.

But enough of that: Here’s what my dad wrote after that Vale game. His editorial, titled “These Were Our Boys,” included this passage:
“It was hard to hold back the tears driving home from Vale that night. That was partly because we knew from experience the nobility of these kids in defeat as well as their grandeur in victory. “You see, they played knothole baseball for us five or six years ago. And they really learned how to take it. They were under-age, playing with a league of older kids in order to fill out the league schedules for summer play. If we ever won a game that summer, it has long since been forgotten. “We couldn’t help but wonder if we hadn’t given some of these youngsters such adequate early training the philosophical acceptance of reverses on the playing field, if the result might not have been different at Vale on the critical evening this November. No bunch of kids ever wanted more to win a ball game. We know because we’ve listened to them work on it conversationally for the past nine years. “For all that, we wouldn’t trade away that summer. What a sight it was to watch the Doman kids come in to town, covered with the dust of a day’s work in the field, and then take on an evening’s work on the playing field. And Larry Horyna, crouched behind the bat, whipped the gang in those days to higher performance, just as he has in recent years.

“Another sight we’ll never forget. Horyna eating watermelon --- seeds and all --- at the kids’ picnic in our backyard. That Larry could go through more watermelon in less time than any kid we’ve ever seen.” Larry Lynch

Doug and Janice Kimble Rees: We are so sorry to hear about Larry's passing. Larry was the emcee for all of our class reunions (10th, 20th, 30th, 40th, 45th and 50th), he did a great job!! He sent out many e-mails and Tiger Tracks newsletters keeping us informed of our class of '56. We remember Larry playing many sports in high school. He will be greatly missed! It is hard to lose some one you love, we pray God's peace and strength for you!

Love from two of his 1956 classmates, Doug and Janice (Kemble) Rees

Nancy Bond Ottis: I was really out of the loop, being away for a month dealing with a sister's medical crisis. But your descriptions made me feel a part of the outpouring of regard and memories of Larry. What a hole he leaves. Thanks and hugs. Nancy Bond Ottis

Delores Miyamoto: Thank you for taking the time to help the rest of us participate in saying good by to an extraordinary example. Such a pleasure to be part of this class group. Pretty special!! Thanks, Dee Goto

There have been others pass away since the last Tiger Tracks publication and I am not sure of all of those. We should enter here any information any of you may have of the passing or serious health problems of any of our classmates. I do know that Sally Fetter Garnero passed away November 23, 2008 following her twin, Jo Anne with whom she was a big part of the cheer squad of OHS Tigers. I have tried to attach her obituary, but it is impressive as she spent a great deal of her energy helping organize an effort to create a shelter for homeless called the Serenity House. She was highly honored by those who worked with her on this wonderful project and was survived by four children and 10 grandchildren.

We hope everyone will enjoy this blog and add comments and pictures as often as you would like.