Golden moments for Class of 1958

Memories were gushing at Rex's Cork 'n Fork restaurant last Friday night when about 45 members of the St. Charles High School Class of 1958 met to relive their days of leisure at what was then a drive-up restaurant with waitresses on roller skates on East Main Street.

"That was our favorite hangout," said Barbara (Manuel) Carpenter, who was in town from Huntsville, Ala., with her husband Daryl.

Daryl was a lifelong resident of St. Charles and Barbara came to St. Charles High School (then located at the Thompson Middle School site) as a sophomore. They became high school sweethearts and have been married 46 years.

"We have been back here recently, but many of the other classmates who have not been here in a long time were just amazed at what's gone on around here," Barbara said. "Randall Road used to be a blacktop road, with a bunch of gravel roads around it and Daryl and the other guys used to have car road rallies out there."

Daryl, who is a retired Army lieutenant colonel, enjoys history and put together a presentation showcasing early St. Charles to today for last Saturday night's reunion dinner at Elburn's Fishermen's Inn.

"There are pictures from the early days, some from photos we had, some from classmates who sent photos," Barbara said. "And we also had photos from our class yearbook (a graduating class of 109)."

The weekend included former Mayor Fred Norris taking participants on a bus tour of the school campuses and the city; a paddleboat ride on the Fox River; a golf outing at Settler's Hill; a night of revelry at McNally's; and all sorts of visiting and reminiscing in between at the Fairfield Inn in St. Charles, where the classmates stayed.

Vietnam vets and friends:

As part of the Class of 1958 reunion, Daryl Carpenter was able to see his friend, classmate and fellow Vietnam veteran Bob White, who also was in town from Colorado for this 50th reunion.

White's experience as a POW during the Vietnam War was big news in his hometown of St. Charles from the time of his capture in late 1969 until his release in 1973. Upon his safe return, he was welcomed home with a parade along Main Street.

His prisoner garb remains on display at the St. Charles Heritage Center to this day.

Taking next steps:

Much was said about the great experience Kane County Cougars players enjoyed last week by playing a game at Wrigley Field. The players had a brief chance to get a feel of what the last rung on the baseball ladder feels like.

But let's not forget what it is like for area high school players to play a game on the Cougars' home field at Elfstrom Stadium. It carries that same kind of excitement about experiencing that next level.

The Cougars brass has been great about scheduling a few high school games in the past and the staff at Geneva High School did a great job for years as hosts of the state tournament at Elfstrom.

Here's to hoping we can land that state tournament again in the future.

dheun@sbcglobal.net