Class Reunion 2024

I attended my 55^th class reunion in Maryville, Mo this last weekend.  We are the graduating class of 1969. Our school mascot is a Spoofhound.

Here’s an explanation of our mascot, which is really quite interesting.  The school mascot Spoofhound is based on a Plaster of Paris souvenir mascot that was distributed in 1921 during the American Legion convention in Kansas City, Missouri that was held in conjunction with the dedication of the Liberty Memorial. That mascot was based on a drawing by World War I veteran James D. Laingor who made a drawing that was a compilation of 20 photographs of mascot dogs of various World War I units. Laingor

copyrighted the image of "Spoof hound and Goof" in 1921. The image was turned into a statue

which Laingor sold via his company "Spoof Hound” of Kansas City, Missouri. The headline on its advertisement in American Legion Magazine said, "Meet the Spoof Hound, the ugliest critter in existence." The text said, "You buddies who are coming to Kansas City are going to meet the oneriest looking Son-of-A-Gun that ever came down a Company street. He's the Spoof-Hound."  Laingor was a University of Missouri Journalism School student and said he had originally used the name to describe his coffee club. Spoofhound statues left over from the convention were sold at carnivals in 1922.

Leslie Edward Ziegeler (1894-1957), who coached the high school team said his players looked like a bunch of Spoofhounds. The name stuck and as the 1923 football season began the team was called the Spoofhound by the Maryville Daily Forum.

In the 1940s, Ziegler became the superintendent of schools for Columbia, Missouri where the mascot is also named for an early 20th-century doll—the Kewpies.  The image of the Spoofhound has evolved over the years. From the 1950s to the mid-1970s, drawings of it showed a softer more filled out creature called Spoofy.

In 1977 the "Hi Lights" the high school publication which appeared weekly in the Forum ran a contest entitled, "Spoofy - Does he have a face?" in which they sought a redesign to a more aggressive Spoofhound. The winner of this contest was the school art instructor Brian L. Lohafer.  Lohafer was also a coach, and he led the football Spoofhounds to state championship 994, 1996 and a basketball state championship appearance in 1995. A variation of the mascot he designed is still the mascot of the school.

ESPN recognized the Spoofhound as one of its top mascot names and enshrined the Spoofhound in their "Mascot Hall of Fame." As of 2016, no other academic institution or sports club had adopted the nickname.  Source: Wikipedia

The great thing about reunions is that the older we get, the less competitive we are with one another. Our high school years were defined by the popular kids vs the regular kids. I was in the second category.  I was well liked, but our family economics didn’t include money for sports and cheer leading activities. My older sister and I couldn’t date until we were 16, and by then the popular couples had already been established. I never lamented this, except some of the cuter boys made my heart flutter just a little, when they actually acknowledged me.

Now, at the age of 73 those old distinctions are long gone. We now visit about our retirement activities instead of our careers, and our grand and great grandchildren rather than our children and their various careers.

We’ve lost more classmates and classmate’s spouses then we like and lament that we never know when our names will be added to that list. 

Those who served in the military are fewer now too, although we continue to salute those who did serve in their younger years.

Although social drinking is still a part of our gatherings, it’s no longer the focus. We are not there to dance and fool around, we’re there to visit and reminisce. We take pictures, knowing that as each year passes, there will be a lessor number at our next reunion. For our 60^th reunion, some of us won't be able to travel long distances and many will have bigger health conditions to contend with.

For now, at the 55^th reunion, with an age centered around the 73 year mark, we came from various places and enjoyed the company of one another. There are no longer distinctions between the popular and not so popular, but a group of individuals who spent a part of our childhoods together and relish the chance to meet again to recall old stories and share new ones.

It doesn’t matter now how large or small we are, what color our hair has turned, if we’re lucky enough to have hair at all, or what devices we depend on such as walkers and hearing aids.  We just care about one another. We enjoy hugs and laughter. We share phone numbers and e-mail addresses for contact purposes.

Most of all though, we share an appreciation for life in general. No matter the who, what, when, where or why of our stories, we gather together, and praise God for the opportunity to do so.

I salute my classmates and friends for the wonderful lives we have lived and for the opportunity to reunite after all these years. May God continue to bless us in the days ahead and, if able, to meet again at our 60^th class reunion.  Go Spoofhounds class of 1969!

Diane Goold

Author and motivational speaker