Deborah Gail Smith (Hall)

Susan, you and I had the same thought about the transcript, but I hadn’t taken the time to get it out to look; I kept my transcript from when I attended Ohio State. 

Anyway, my transcript looks as tho it says there were “667” in our class. I say “looks” because it looks as tho they had written “567” first, but changed the “5” to correct it to “667”.  

Watching the Ohio State-Penn State game now — Go Bucks!!!  

Dave — I wonder if the number which The Newark Advocate quoted was the number who graduated or possibly attended the graduation ceremony?

Roger McDonald

Deborah, Gale, Susan, and David:  I might also suggest, given what my brother told me of his own class's statistics, that the number 667 could be what our class at NHS began with in sophomore year.  A query to the Board of Education could likely clear this up.

David Fredrick Smith

I am not sure what the criteria is for this total number. While preparing for our reunion I posted the program from our graduation. Is the number you are looking for the total number named in the program, or are there out-lyers that one must take into account. I still have a PDF of the program. I don't think I can post it here, but I can make it available using email.

Roger McDonald

Someone may be able to answer this question:  Why is the NHS Yearbook called the "Reveille"?   This question occurred to me while working on a daily "spelling bee" puzzle (oh, the joys of age and retirement!).  The only dictionary definition I can find for "reveille" is the well-known military call to "rise and shine" pronounced re'-val-lee.  That is the only pronunciation listed in a recent dictionary, though my grandfather's old 1927 tome additionally lists our yearbook's pronunciation, re-vel-yuh', indeed as the primary one, but does not expand on the definition.

Pehaps that book was meant to send us on our way in the bright, sunny morning of our youth?  But it's now evening, or at least twilight, and an answer would be nice.  By the way, I intentionally did not google this, preferring the '68 approach, needing a little help from my friends. 

Janet Yost (Maney)

Roger. I don't know the answer to your question.  But I do know that at 7am on a Sunday morning, you brought a smile to my face.  If you ever publish anything related to memories/ ponderings etc, I would buy it!

David Fredrick Smith

Good morning, Rodger. It seems that other languages or derivations of the word all mean the same. Perhaps a Bluebird is on your shoulder telling you to arise, be quick about it and be vigilant.

David Fredrick Smith

One more comment to Rodger. In my part of Ohio the snow started coming down heavily and I had a physical Bluebird come to my feeders, find nothing and tweet, "arise, be quick about it and get out here and feed us!"

Bill Orsborn

Chris Lytle

Roger, you posed an interesting question. I couldn't contribute an answer, so I googled it. Good to see all the early risers who responded. Hi to Janet, Bill, and David. And Roger, I do Wordle, NY Times Mini, Spelling Bee, and the Jumble before I feed my cats at 5:30 AM.

Roger McDonald

One reason I posted the message was, with hope, to get a rise out of some old friends and acquaintances, so that effort certainly proved a success!  Nice to know our minds still function.  If you wish to subject your brains to a mental ordeal of agonized despair and frustration, Dave Richards recently introduced me to the on-line "Redactle."  Not for the faint of heart or head! 

 As to "reveille,"  some archive at Newark High perhaps would reveal the reason for that choice of name.  Does anyone know of any other school that uses that title?  (Bill, I think we would both pronounce "yaa" and "yuh" the same.)  But, everyone, thanks for the input.

Dan McElroy

Reveille: A display, posting or revealation

Roger McDonald

Dan's short note does not reveal the depth of his research.  He informs me that "reveille," in our yearbook's pronunciation, from the French "le reveill," refers to a display or posting (i.e., revealing) in a book.  Our yearbook displayed us.  Thus, probably, the military's picking this meaning up when troops are marshalled each morning in open display. (See also Bill's etymology.)   At least, that seems a reasonable surmise.  So my mind is at ease on this one.

But a month ago I stumbled upon another reference to "jimjams," in Joseph Conrad's "Lord Jim,"  so whether that Britishism for an agitated state was humorously appropriated by some local wag to name our "Gym Jams" remains a mystery.   No rest for the retired . . . . 

Bill Orsborn

Peggy Gartner (Dunlap)

Hi Everyone!  Loved the thoughts and reasoning on Reveille!  My little input....a few months back Our oldest granddaughter was ordering her Yearbook from Heath High School and She asked me where my yearbook was.  I told her my Reveille was on the book shelf in my office.  She asked, what is a Reveille Grandma?  It is my yearbook I told her.  She ask, why do you call it Reveille?  Not sure, I said, that is what Newark High called their yearbooks.  Roger, I guess I always thought that was the name they gave our Yearbooks!  Never gave it a thought about it's meaning🤔

Sandra Spangler (Steele)

Hello Fellow Wildcats/Newarkites-

I have been thoroughly enjoying the postings and mental meanderings of my classmates. It is great fun to have so many weighing in on different topics. My hat is off to you Roger for stoking the fire of curiosity and exploration with your questions and memories. As a contributor to the discussion of number of students in the class of 1968, my recollection is 587. I have not researched this yet, but I might get ambitious and see what I can find.

I hope all y'all have a most blessed 2023  Looking forward to staying connected here  

Deborah Hall (Barlow)

Good morning, everyone. Thank you, Roger, for initiating some interesting "dialogue". It is always great to hear from former classmates.  I checked out Redactle and as you put it, I'm not sure I am ready to subject my brain to the "mental ordeal of organized despair and frustration."It certainly looks like an interesting challenge. I may have to be content with Wordle, The Spelling Bee, and the Mini Crossword. Wishing you all the best in 2023.

Douglas L. Gage

For what it's worth I counted the number of senior pictures on 6 pages of our senior class yearbook.. When I calculated what the total number of pictures would be for the 40 pages of pictures it came to 547. Obviously I too have to much time on on my hands.

John Babcock

Doug , I believe there were many that did not get her picture taken at the back of the yearbook it has all the names that graduated. Tried counting those and I believe the number may be closer to 572 ,.hope all is well

Gale Cady (Williams)

To add to John Babcock's post, not only are there many class members' photos missing, some because of opportunity, some for lack of money for the portraits, but some others - notably Bryce Morrice - were not allowed to have their pictures included with our class because their portrait didn't follow school dress code rules. In Bryce Morrice's case, it was because Mr. (Fireball) Roberts considered his hair too long to be in the class pictures in the yearbook. I sought to amend this ridiculous and cruel injustice 28 years after we graduated by nominating him for the 1996 Outstanding Alumni Award, partly because he easily deserved it for all his many accomplishments, including his role as Chief of Cardiology at Licking Memorial Hospital and the cardiac training program for EMTs he initiated that included allowing them to interact live with doctors in the ER. The primary reason I nominated him for this, though, was that it brought him some piece of justice for the wrong done to him in 1968 because the award winners’ pictures were permanently displayed in the NHS school library. I was teaching English and Journalism at the time at Newark High School, and every time I was in the library, I passed the Alumni Awards with photos of the winners mounted on wooden plaques, and that year, I realized it was the perfect way to try to even the score for Bryce. Back when we were in high school and the decision was made to forbid Bryce from having his photo in the yearbook, I wrote an editorial for the Reveille Review newspaper railing against the school's stupid dress code policies that included hair length for boys, but not for girls, and outlawing pants for girls (but clearly, not for boys) (extremely sexist)(Ladies, remember how cold we were? And I had to walk back and forth to school.)

Anyway, as part of bestowing the honor on the recipient, I was allowed to make a little speech in my cap and gown explaining this at the 1996 indoor graduation ceremonies (it was pouring rain that year), and I handed him his award. It is laughable to me that after that year ― when I included in my speech that the 1968 school administrators forbade him from having his picture in the yearbook despite his status as an honor student and that this was my way of making that wrong, right ― they never let teachers nominate people for the award again. Hilarious. And not surprising. It took a long time, but I felt like that was a satisfying win, and I know he agreed.

Bryce Morrice, rest in peace. I still cannot believe you are gone; I have had a hard time accepting this reality; not all that long ago, I sat in your office for some heart care and a heart-to-heart, and then, the next thing I knew, you were gone. I hope you are resting easy now.

Bill Orsborn

Nancy Baughman (Fetter)

Gale, that was so very kind of you to do that for Bryce. He certainly deserved it.  Thanks for nominating him.

John Babcock

Thank you Gail . To add to the story about the dress code I remember being called into the principals office , Mr. Barkley.  Mr. Barkley and the  school had a problem with I wearing T-shirts and blue jeans , I made it very simple if he didn't like my dress code buy me the clothes you like to see me wear. End of story. I knew Bryce through Bruce Eddy, Bryce was a great guy , all have a  good day. Guys forgive for my selection of working , I I barely got through English.🤣

Roger McDonald

In an attempt to resolve the class size debate, I contacted "A Call to College" to see if anyone there could help.  Here is a copy of the response:  "I am afraid I do not have the best news. I asked in the front office and this has been researched in the past. Unfortunately, they do not have a copy of the records you are looking for at the administration building or the high school. However, when looking at the NHS Alumni book, there are 580 listed graduates for the class of 1968."

I assume that "NHS Alumni book" refers to some record apart from the Reveille.  So that may be as definitive an answer as we get.  Surprising that such records were not maintained.  I guess they all shouted "Good riddance!" (e.g., see John B's last post) in June, 1968.

Karen Layman (Williams)

Hard to believe there is no record of the size of the class of '68. I remember asking my standing in class because my GPA had dropped my senior, year, I was given the class size of 567. That can only add to the confusion. I believe Louella Morgan gave me that information.

David Fredrick Smith

The question of class size maybe hard to pin down. There is the record of those who were in attendance for the Graduation ceremony. The evening's program lists the graduates. The Advocate of June 7th.,1968 has a listing of Graduates. I don't know if these two documents were counted, if they would be the same. I do know, for many, when asked over a cup of coffee or something stronger the answer is, "A Lot".