Letter to the Editor

Reunion was memorable

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Dear editor,

Last weekend, the Mountain Home High School classes of 1960-1969 held a joint "50th Anniversary Graduation" reunion get together in Mountain Home. For some of us, it was a few years before 50, and for some a few years after. Only the Class of 1965 was on time.

It was, due to the hard work of a lot of good people, a great success. We took part in two dinners and social gatherings at the Elks Club.

On Saturday night, speakers on behalf of each year's class gave short speeches following the dinner. I had the honor of speaking on behalf of the class of 1963.

Those who know me indicated they were not to surprised that it appeared I spoke the longest. I am after all a retired and recovering lawyer and judge who doesn't get to speak as much as I used to.

Despite that fact, however, I failed to make mention of something I intended to say on a personal level. That was the fact that, while I was very pleased to be asked to speak the speaker at the dinner for the class of 1963, it really should have been our senior class president, Bill Chipman.

Bill was a personal friend. Not only did we go through many of the lower grades and high school together in Mountain Home, we were fraternity brothers at the University of Idaho. Bill was, to put it simply, a really great person.

He was a great friend, a successful businessman and no one who knew him, that I am aware of, ever had a bad thing to say about him. Bill had a great wit and brilliant and winning smile. The Bill Chipman Trail between Moscow, Idaho and Pullman, Washington in named in his honor.

Tragically, Bill lost his life in a horrible automobile accident several years ago. He died well before he should have. Bill's loss is felt keenly by everyone who knew him.

Bill should have been giving that talk Saturday night, not me, and I wish he could have. Bill's ready sense of humor and quick wit would have resulted, I am sure, in a more entertaining speech and perhaps a shorter one (although Bill liked to talk, too).

My thanks to all of those who worked so hard to make this reunion a success and the wonderful staff and volunteers at the Elks Club who handled the large group of attendees so well. It was a great weekend.

Sincerely,

-- Mike Wetherell,

Idaho district judge (retired)